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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906705">The Sun-Kissed Sea</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/losticarus/pseuds/losticarus'>losticarus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Adult Eren Yeager, Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Badass Armin Arlert, Badass Eren Yeager, Badass Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Badass Mikasa Ackerman, Bottom Eren Yeager, Castles, Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, Cultural Differences, Doctor Hange Zoë, Doctors &amp; Physicians, Drama &amp; Romance, Elves, Eren Yeager Has Heterochromia Iridum, Eren Yeager Is a Ray of Sunshine, Eren Yeager Is a Tease, Eren Yeager is a Little Shit, Everyone Has Issues, F/F, F/M, Fae &amp; Fairies, Falling In Love, Hange Zoë &amp; Levi Are Best Friends, Hange Zoë's Experiments, Hans Christian Andersen Inspired, Hurt/Comfort, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Levi is Bad At Feelings (Shingeki no Kyojin), Levi is In Denial (Shingeki no Kyojin), Levi/Eren Yeager-centric, Little Mermaid Elements, Long-Haired Eren Yeager, M/M, Magic and Science, Magical Artifacts, Magical Tattoos, Mermaid Eren Yeager, Merman Eren Yeager, Mute Eren Yeager, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Prince Eren Yeager, Prince Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Romance, Sea Monsters, Slow Burn, Sparring, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Tattoos, Titan-Haired Eren Yeager, Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), loosely based off of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid", loosely based off of the disney movie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:00:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906705</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/losticarus/pseuds/losticarus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren could not imagine a life where the sea did not encompass it.<br/>The prince was a slash of gold in endless expanses of blue, tawny, yet impossibly celestial. He wanted more than what the sea could give, yet succumbed to the inevitable shackles of royalty. As he grows older, his responsibilities bear down on his shoulders, weighing the prince’s mind down to the seafloor whilst his heart simultaneously longed to fly.<br/>Eren Yeager had no idea what he wanted. Or more precisely, he didn’t know what would happen if he obtained what he wanted, if he obtained the unattainable.<br/>But a flash of silver in the moonlight and the merman was enamored. A man with inky hair and a face resembling that of chiseled marble had done what no other creature had done before. He piqued the mer-prince’s interest.<br/>(A little Mermaid AU)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armin Arlert &amp; Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert &amp; Erwin Smith, Armin Arlert &amp; Hange Zoë, Armin Arlert &amp; Levi, Armin Arlert/Erwin Smith, Eren Yeager &amp; Hange Zoë, Levi &amp; Eren Yeager, Levi &amp; Eren Yeager &amp; Hange Zoë, Levi &amp; Erwin Smith, Levi &amp; Erwin Smith &amp; Hange Zoë, Levi &amp; Hange Zoë, Levi &amp; Special Operations Squad | Squad Levi, Levi/Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Armin Arlert, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Armin Arlert &amp; Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman &amp; Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart, Moblit Berner &amp; Hange Zoë</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>230</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1: You're a Dreamer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren Yeager had an ostentatious beauty that drew eyes towards him like fish to coral. The razor-sharp teal scales adorning his tail glittered in the sunbeams that pierced through the depths of the sea like spears. His unruly long brown hair had sun-bleached strands resembling spun sea silk that shimmered gold in the sunlight. His figure lithe and tanned, formed from years of battling creatures that dared to infringe on his father’s territory. Three golden bands were tattooed around his triceps, and various runic spells ran down the length of his arms and webbed fingers. A golden trident adorning his back, following the elegant curve of his spine, with the three prongs pointing to the nape of his neck, a show of status. Heavy lashes accentuated his wide multi-colored eyes, as the rims of his irises were an electrifying teal and transitioned to a piercing gold that resembled the ink that was so meticulously embedded into his skin. He held himself with the grace of royalty and eyes shone with the untamed curiosity of a pirate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A far cry from a traditional prince. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To prove that point, he was currently trying to sneak out of the palace to catch a glimpse of the sailors who were too feebleminded for commonsense. Adventure called to him like an insistent whisper. He longed to see the night sky, the silvery speckles that dotted the sky with fervor mesmerized the crown prince with its endlessness. He had tried to count these “stars” but could never seem to make it past two thousand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His father, Grisha Yeager, King of the oceans, had adopted an isolationist approach to the world when his wife and beloved queen, Carla, died from being hunted down by pirates for her invaluable scales and tears. Grisha had slaughtered them all where they stood, unfortunately, Eren’s mother had been killed shortly before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then and there, Grisha swore never to let his subjects and family interact with the people of the outside world again. And they have lived like that for two centuries. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikasa Ackerman, Eren’s adopted sister, and princess agreed with the King’s sentiments because she had lost both her mothers to the outside world. The only reason she was alive was that Eren had managed to save her from poachers when they were younglings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The prince didn’t hold their ideals and thought that there could be tremendous benefit from learning from land-dwellers.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hence why he was sneaking out of his home in the dead of night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bypassing the guards were a cinch, he had already memorized their nightly routes. Just as he was about to be free of the palace walls, he felt a sharp yank on his arm that pulled him into a secluded corner. Without having to look at the assailant, he knew exactly who it was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing, sea horse face?” The golden prince hissed lowly, glaring at the knight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Saving your tail, sweetheart.” Jean Kirstein hissed back, pulling Eren flush against his conch shell armored chest as a guard swam past the two, not even noticing their presence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren made a face, “Keep the pet names for your pufferfish.” He shoved the soldier away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco is not a pufferfish.” Jean defended his “friend” indignantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” Eren deadpanned, Jean and the prince had always had a love-hate relationship containing a tension Eren was duty-bound not to act on. Not that it mattered in the long run, because he had become entirely smitten with a boy who’s smile felt like the beaming sun in a cloudless sky. “Thanks, for that,” Eren stated begrudgingly, not wanting to seem wholly ungrateful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made a move to leave, but webbed fingers gripped his arm harder, “Wait.” Jean’s light amber eyes bored into Eren’s multi-colored ones, “Just… be careful, okay? Mikasa would wreak havoc if you died.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, he loosened his grip and allowed the prince his sliver of freedom. Eren just nodded and swam away without saying a word, doubting he could vocalize anything with the weight that settled in his chest. He knew what he was risking. His crown, his title, his father’s wrath, his sister’s scorn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he made the familiar journey from the depths to the surface with practiced flicks of his tail, to a lone rock in the middle of the sea, where usually land shone like a ghost, faintly on the horizon in a hazy blue in the daylight, the blanket of darkness that night on only shone with stars and the rhythmic sound of the waves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren had always preferred the clarity the night sky brought, contrary to the endless expanses of azure that fed into his vision and reminded him bizarrely of his underwater prison, except the sun dries out his bright scales, making them lose their familiar luster and knife-like edges. Now, he was able to take his time and appreciate what the sea could not give him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nightfall brought something entirely foreign to Eren’s periphery, the eerie silence that pervaded his senses made the prince feel as though the whole world was asleep. Leaving him alone with his thoughts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren couldn’t help but think that all of the risks were worth it. Every visit from the depths felt like his last, and the prince treated it as such. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He allowed most of his body to be submerged in water, his arms circled cushioned his head as he rested it on the smooth rock, glossy from the persistent salty waves that buffed away the jagged edges it used to possess. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The intrusive but oddly benign curve of the full moon’s reflection transformed the stretch of the seemingly endless breadth of gentle waves into mercury with its calm bright streaks of brilliant silver. As familiar patterns of incandescent gems dotted the night sky, twinkling like the inaccessible treasures sunken to the bottom of the sea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If only Mikasa or his father could see the beauty in something that they found so unnecessarily terrifying as Eren had. He wanted someone to share </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>with, someone who could see what he saw when he looked to the surface with unimaginable yearning. The majority of his people had been too dastardly to dare even going near the surface of the water and opted to stay in the depths, where his father could best shield them from harm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As unnerving as the surface was, it called to him, as his curiosity grew as well as his responsibilities. Although it was utterly foolish to ever believe he could be a part of something so vast yet interconnected. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To ever be able to see the fae and their delicately sheer wings, the elves drawing their expertly crafted bows in practiced motions, or the humans performing their natural affinity with magic and creation would be an impossible feat for the prince. Even if he became king and undid centuries of his father’s work, how would he even begin to reconnect with the surface when they thought of his people as mindless animals with valuable body parts? He would be putting all of his people in danger for the chance of seeing surface dwellers simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren wasn’t meant to be a leader, he wasn’t meant to be a follower, he didn’t know what he was meant to be. Mikasa should have been crown princess, she had a definitive direction she wanted to take the kingdom, as much as it didn’t align with Eren’s views, it kept his people safe from his recklessness. Mikasa had called him “dauntless” once, and he agreed, but Shiganshina didn’t need a dauntless king, or a grieving one, they needed a wise queen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quiet moments like this, simultaneously clarified and muddled Eren’s vision of the future, he hoped for things that were so utterly implausible, but he also knew that if he had the crown he would not hesitate to make his dream a reality even if it took him centuries of building bridges and death. He couldn’t trust himself to rule unselfishly. Something both he and his father seemed to have in common. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren hummed a random toon quietly into the darkness, enjoying the way air carried his silken voice along the stretch of gentle waves. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi Ackerman was the personification of the night sky, he had a rare tranquil beauty that held terrifying darkness, both made the viewer unable to tear their gaze away from him. His sharp, angular face and metallic eyes as well as being adorned in fine silks of varying ranges of navy blue and the silvery embroidery, hand-stitched by the best seamstresses in the Kingdom, that resembled stars. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His unearthly grace made the majority of nobles question his human origins, some even going as far as to accuse him of being a fae, or a changeling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You better have interrupted me for something worth my time.” Prince Levi listlessly lounged in his velvet loveseat in his </span>
  <em>
    <span>private </span>
  </em>
  <span>chambers. Not that anyone seemed to understand that tidbit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yes your highness, his majesty has requested a meeting with you this afternoon. He’s expecting you to make your decision next month.” The chambermaid stuttered obnoxiously, Levi rolled his silvery eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Levi slammed the book he was reading shut with an abrupt </span>
  <em>
    <span>thud</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it was a simple edition of fairy-tales, the woman nearly jumped out of her skin. “You’re dismissed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a quick nod and a curtsy, she was off, doing whatever mundane tasks her job ensued for the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi inwardly sighed as soon as she left by closing the door softly on her way out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he became crown prince, he had no qualms about marrying for meaningless political games, since he did not think that he would live to see himself bound to another before Kenny offered him a title and a country. Living the majority of his childhood with barely enough food to avoid dying of starvation, and subsequently resulting in thievery along with a gang of misfits in his teens made one desperate. Especially after realizing that he had no one left to lose if he failed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the Norns confirmed that he was of royal blood to the entire kingdom, just two years ago, he was named crown prince. Second in line for Trost’s throne when Kenny passes it onto him willingly or not. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, it was jarring, to become a pauper to a prince in a matter of months with no prior experience with nobles other than conning them out of their precious gold. He adapted swiftly, he took his courses and learned to read and write. He succumbed to a life of monotony and corruption. Everyone wanted the power he somehow fell into, which made him an easy opponent to get rid of. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sadly, for those power-seeking nobles who are somehow always planning a coup d’etat, twenty- seven assassination attempts, in counting, the prince was still living no matter how high the hit-men were paid, and it always seemed to be their last paycheck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi had gone through so many personally appointed knights, his newest one was a timid blond with bright blue eyes and an inclination towards forbidden texts and strategy. He may not have been the strongest one in his training group, but he knew how to think his way out of any given situation. A trait Levi highly valued. And it was probably one of the reasons the boy had survived this long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi went back to his book, he had gotten the basics of reading mastered, although he struggled with the more advanced wording and nuance of novels and poetry. Sometimes he enjoyed sitting around and pretending as though he gained some sort of proficiency in literacy. He was a thirty-year-old man struggling to read fairy-tales. Pathetic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another knock at his door reverberated off of his glossy stone walls. The prince’s eyebrow ticked, “Come in.” He said, begrudgingly. </span>
</p><p><span>“Hello!” Hanji Zoe, the court physician barged in, only adhering to the bare minimum niceties required when talking to someone of his status. “How is your sleep schedule doing? Should I fix you up another drought?” </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>Their voice rang throughout his chambers in an annoyingly jovial tone, “Not unless you want the whole castle to hear, four eyes.” </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>Their pallid face bore dark circles under brown eyes, their glasses glinted in the morning sun, the only thing in the physician’s possession that they took meticulous care of. Hanji’s hair was tied haphazardly into a ponytail, their modest tunic and brown pants directly contrasted the lavish show of wealth that was his private chambers. But they did not look out of place because of it. Hanji could go anywhere and look right at home as long as they had their medical bag and spectacles. </span></p><p><span>“Oh, sorry about that,” They slammed his heavy doors shut, Levi repressed a grimace as they rushed towards him, and gave him his weekly checkup. “You know you should be getting more sleep. How long did you say you slept a night? Three to four hours?” </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>“Tch.” Levi didn’t shy away from the inspection, and let the physician do what they needed to do. There was no use resisting the persistent scholar in anything. “You’re one to talk.” </span></p><p>
  <span>“I’m not the one with a country to run, your highness. You should consider taking my sleeping droughts, I know you always throw them out or give them to a poor chambermaid to sell.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi didn’t respond, and they both succumbed to a comfortable routine silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanji had become one of his first allies since arriving at the palace, they treated him in his starved state by slowly introducing him to regular meals and solid foods. And they surprisingly managed to keep it under wraps, as per the king’s orders. Levi had relied on their patience and unperturbed attitude more than he liked to admit and had started to enjoy their company. Just a tad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erwin Smith, the Marquess of Rose, had also gotten in the prince’s good graces, mainly due to his sheer persistence. Not unlike their dear physician. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All done,” Hanji unceremoniously said and shuffled away from Levi to put their supplies back into their worn medical bag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you still looking for a new assistant?” Levi questioned, moving to sit back in his velvety seat, genuinely interested in their answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sadly no,” Hanji’s shoulders sank in dejection, “No one can live up to my Moblit. Although I’m glad he’s practicing in a village near the city. So I can’t really complain.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi hummed in response, Moblit Berner, the gentlest man Levi had the pleasure of meeting, had been Hanji’s right-hand man for years predating Levi’s arrival to the castle. Berner had been a man of humble backgrounds with only the wish of furthering advancements in the scientific and medical fields with Hanji through, what some would call, unethical and bloody experimentation. He had left around a month ago to pursue what he deemed to be a noble duty to travel the world and help those in need with his medicinal expertise. Hanji bid him a teary goodbye and had been struggling ever since. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanji immediately perked up, the glazed sadness in their eyes dissipated and was replaced with a nearly manic one, “But that just means I get to teach another pupil about all of my experiments!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I pity the poor bastard.” Levi scoffed, Hanji was somehow better at masking their true feelings than the icy prince, which was a feat in it of itself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The modest physician tsked, “What unbefitting language for such a small prince. Where’s your sense of propriety?” Hanji stuck their tongue out at him in a petulant manner</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shoved up your-” Before Levi could finish, Hanji had already made their way to the door, and gracelessly slammed it on their way out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi only rolled his eyes, reopened his leatherbound book of childish fairytales and resumed his passage, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Each soldier was the living image of the others, but there was one who was a bit different. He had only one leg, for he was the last to be cast and the tin had run out. Still, there he stood, just as steadfast on his one leg as the others on their two. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you Regular_John for being a blessing not in disguise and beta reading this work. </p><p>Quote: "Each soldier was the living image of the others, but there was one who was a bit different. He had only one leg, for he was the last to be cast and the tin had run out. Still, there he stood, just as steadfast on his one leg as the others on their two." -Hans Christian Andersen, The Steadfast Tin Soldier</p><p>I felt like there was an offensive lack of the Little Mermaid AUs in this fandom, so I decided to throw my hat into the ring. Plus implementing some Hans Christian Andersen elements from the original gives me some nice angst material. But that also means I have to be a bit more poetic and serious when writing. So wish me luck, while I scrutinize every word I write. </p><p>Thanks for making it to the end of the chapter here have a concerned Armin face (͠◉_◉᷅ ) </p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2: And That's Your Misfortune</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you Regular_John for Beta reading this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Levi had arrived at his “afternoon tea” with his uncle early, after allowing his chambermaids to groom him impeccably for the occasion, he was in the presence of the king after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The aforementioned king arrived late, and in infuriatingly informal attire. He wore a finely tailored vest with a white silk button-up underneath, and bland tailored pants all consisting of the yearly earnings of a small village, not that Levi could judge. He was adorned in garments that cost the yearly earnings of a moderately sized village. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny shooed away the staff members that buzzed around the pavilion as to not have any wondering eyes on him, considering the fact that Levi was unlike the simple pompous prince, he could handle pouring his own tea. Not that he would care either way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a lot of nobles tryin' to court ya, kid,” Kenny commented, sipping his tea, then making a face as he pulled out an engraved silver flask. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Levi stated simply, a carefully blank mask slipped onto his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gettin’ kinda annoyed by all those fuckin’ letters.” Levi was unperturbed by his uncle’s lack of propriety, considering he never had it in the first place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenny was not for tradition, he opted not to produce an heir and spent the majority of his life pathetically pining over a man who could never love him back until the other died a peaceful death in his slumber. Lucky bastard.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, he tracked down his long lost sister to a brothel, where the only thing she left behind in her death was a sack of bones her former Madame called a child. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi grasped his cup by the rim, forgoing traditional etiquette, and crossed his legs.“A pity. Truly.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re tellin’ me,” Kenny scoffed as he dumped the entirety of the foul-smelling amber liquid in his flask into his teacup, “Kid, personally, you ain’t gotta pick any of those bastards. But it’d be preferable for me if you choose a spouse when I retire. It’ll make politics easier, trust me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, “Then why tell my chambermaids I had a month?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some nobles are breathing down my neck about it, and maids tend to gossip.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi suppressed an eye roll, as casual as the king was being now, he had a sadistic streak and the prince wasn’t in the mood to encourage it. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So it’s better to make me look indecisive than you a careless pig? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Is what he wanted to say, but he bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste the coppery liquid of his blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surveying the area in case there was a stray eavesdropper, Levi took a moment to appreciate the view. He was seated underneath the dome of a marble roman styled pavilion held up by handcrafted ridged columns, the pristine marble flooring shifted into stairs at the edge of the circle, directly contrasting the vibrant green grass surrounding it. The pavilion was smack dab in the middle of the castle’s finest viridarium, flowers adorned lush green shrubs like vibrant gems. Levi had always viewed bright colors with thinly veiled curiosity since the only vibrancies he was exposed to were the cheap dresses and fake jewelry women wore at brothels to snag their next client. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanji once said that the creatures with the brightest coloring held the most venom. It was a natural way they made themselves look alluring to their prey. Levi could only assume that the sentiment applied to people as well. </span>
</p><p><span>Levi nodded, taking another sip of his flowery tea. Not his preference, but he wasn’t the type of man to complain about fine teas when they were so hard to come by to the average person. “Do you have a preference in whom I choose to marry?” </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>Kenny shook his head, “Nope, I’ve got no experience in the area. You’ll just have to figure that out yourself.” </span></p><p>
  <span>When had he not? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of experience, you’ve never been out to sea, right? Well, tonight, you’re scheduled to board a ship for the unveiling of the statue for your coronation.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi’s eyes widened a fraction, sure, the castle built on the beach, and the city of Trost relied heavily on fishing and trade as their main source of income, but he had never gotten the chance to be on the water. Although his chambers had a balcony that overlooked the serene waves that crashed onto his shores. On rare occasions where sleep found him, those waves lolled him into a false sense of comfort. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin had not mentioned this in his recap of this week’s events, this must’ve been a spur of the moment decision from the king. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi had given the small blond the day off to flitter around doing whatever he did in his free time. The young knight deserved a break from the constant attempts on his life, not to mention a peculiar Marquess with shitty eyebrows was in town that desperately longed for the petit knight’s attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In layman's terms, the prince was throwing an old friend a bone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi schooled his expression, “Fine, make sure you send someone to give me the details before tonight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, now that we have that settled…” Kenny droned on and on about whatever noble drama was happening. Levi paid no mind unless one of them murdered the other, there was no point in knowing which Countess cheated on her Earl with another Countess and whom was renting out prostitutes because of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi had no qualms about being king, he planned on doing the best he could for his people, since it was better than dying in a ditch somewhere underground. Unlike Kenny, who took what he liked to call the “tough love” approach, Levi liked to call it “corruption”. But for now, he’d let Kenny have his fun, playing his stale games with whomever he deemed entertaining as a way to cope with the mundane task of </span>
  <em>
    <span>caring </span>
  </em>
  <span>for his people. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The metallic-eyed man never considered himself as a leader, when he usually preferred to care for himself first and foremost. On the other hand, he never considered himself a failure, and he’d be damned if he was going to fail his people. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eren flitted around nervously in his room, knowing his father was going to lecture him for missing yet another council meeting. It wasn’t his intention to forget about it entirely. It just… happened? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His room was simple and made from a mixture of live, vibrant coral, and dead coral, as was the entirety of the castle. He had a straightforward mound of live fluorescent coral that erupted from his wall that he wedged himself into to sleep. Other than that, he held a trunk full of ceremonial jewels and weapons on the far left. It was relatively impersonal. </span>
</p><p><span>He had spent the majority of the morning searching a nearby abandoned ship for trinkets, and he had gotten a decent haul this time around. Of course, he had no idea what a four-pronged, tiny, silver trident did, but that just made the weapon pique his interest even more.  </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>Thankfully, Mikasa was there to take his place. He knew that she’s been getting increasingly worried about him over the last couple of months, with his mind and body wandering around the ocean floor with alarming frequency. Her intentions were nothing but pure, but he couldn’t help but find her nagging and protectiveness bothersome.</span></p><p><span>When Mikasa burst into his room in the place of his father, Eren was surprised, to say the least, “Eren…” She started, disappointedly, as though she was about to scold a spoiled guppy, “Where were you this morning?” </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>“Not at the council meeting?” Eren shrugged, sheepishly. </span></p><p>
  <span>“I’m being serious,” Mikasa cut in, her eyes narrowed into dark slits, reminding Eren of a hammerhead shark. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the only thing about her that resembled a shark. Her inky hair trailed behind her in ribbons as she swam, and her eyes were an uncanny onyx that bewitched the majority of the merfolk she met. Her muted red tail flicked with power and muscle corded her body from years of battle with Eren. Her chest was bare except for the occasional gold ceremonial jewelry that adorned her torso and the ruby necklace Eren gave to her when they were children. Usually, the women in their kingdom wore shell bras as a form of austerity, Mikasa had found that they hindered her movement in battle saying “I’d rather live another day than die modestly”. A gutsy move, but no one dared to question her decision on the matter. Golden tattoos adorned her arms in feminine swirls and instead of a trident being engraved in her back a delicate triskelion adorned the nape of her neck. This placement choice didn’t escape Eren’s acuity. Traditionally for royalty and nobility, the nape of the neck was left bare to be decorated with the Serch Bythol knot once they found their betrothed; considering that the nape was widely considered to be the weakest point in a mer’s predominantly scale-armored body. It’s a time-honored gesture, as though to say “you are my one vulnerability”. At least that’s what his Father told Eren as a child. Mikasa had also declined the protective runic spells, stating that she had too little mana to give to fuel them and would much rather depend on her physical strength.  Her features were dainty and picturesque, much like her adoptive mother despite not being blood-related, her skin was shockingly pale which provided a stark contrast to her deep crimson tail. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The process of getting tattoos, especially ones made of gold, was excruciating magic that took hours to days on end of pain. It was a right of passage for royalty, and therefore all members of the royal family would get them at some point in their lives. When Eren becomes king, he will have a gold circlet tattooed on his head, as a show of everlasting commitment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mere thought of that prospect sent shivers down Eren’s spine as though ice was injected into his veins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I was checking out a new landmark and time got away from me.” Eren made sure to keep most of the truth in his excuse, knowing that if he were to tell her that he was pillaging from a sunken ship for its various artifacts his sister would pop a blood vessel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikasa raised a suspicious eyebrow, scanning his ear-fins for the semblance of a flush. Since Eren’s body tended to betray him when he was lying. Seeing nothing, she continued, “Still, as the future king, you have to learn how to manage your time. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>swim off to Poseidon knows where to explore random coves whenever you feel like it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah yeah, I understand.” Eren bowed his head, knowing that he wouldn’t be ceasing his explorations any time soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I don’t think you do.” Mikasa shook her head disappointedly, “Our people are depending on you to provide protection.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren opened his mouth to speak but she effectively cut him off, “As prince, you still have a duty to serve, it doesn’t just start when you’re king. It started when you were born. I know you have the attention span of a dolphin, but please, learn to take your responsibilities more seriously. For all of us.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren nodded, there was no arguing on the matter, everything she said was true. He was being irresponsible, impulsive, fickle, you name it. He’s had this conversation hundreds of times with Mikasa and his father. But this time felt different. Maybe it was the tiredness behind Mikasa’s onyx eyes, or the weight her stern voice held. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart was supposed to belong to his people, matching Mikasa’s and his father’s passion for their kingdom. Even when they were children, Grisha put the greater good of his people above all else. The young prince had no doubt in his mind that the King would sacrifice his own son for the off chance that his people will be saved. And Mikasa had a twisted sense of duty because she swore that she would do everything in her power to make sure no one went through the pain of losing a family as she had. Nevertheless, Eren would scarcely match their fervor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granted, it was not as though he did not care for the troubles of the citizens, he sympathized with their plights and has used his, albeit, limited power to aid them. But some problems could not be so easily fixed, like the lack of resources and food becoming more and more of a problem due to the coral reefs dying from new technologies being developed on the surface (not that he was supposed to know that). And his father’s refusal to ask for help from other nations only fueled their growing problem. Yet while the people were going hungry, the prince always had lavish foods on his platter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made him sick. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will be at the concert tomorrow… right?” Mikasa asked, surprisingly tentatively, as though she thought she had gone too far in her lecture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren nodded solemnly, “Yes, I’ll sing.” Eren suppressed a growl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had successfully hidden from concerts that only served to find him a “mate”, despite the fact he was of age to find his future spouse, all of it felt wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could his </span>
  <em>
    <span>singing </span>
  </em>
  <span>make dozens of bachelors and bachelorettes proclaim their undying love to him? It was an utterly idiotic display, and it always made Eren cringe to the point where even his gills stuttered. How could covering himself in ornate jewelry and preening like some lionfish make some noble half-wit fall in love? Most nobles showered the prince with gifts and praise of his bright coloring. All things Eren found shallow and treacherous, they treated him as thoughtless, spoiled royalty despite the fact that he fought alongside these men and women for years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As an adopted child, Mikasa wasn’t nearly as “desired” as Eren because she wasn't of royal blood, despite her being the far superior sibling; in Eren’s opinion, at least. That only further proved to him that they were not after him, but the prospect of creating a royal blooded child. The prince refused to succumb to pursuing a loveless betrothal. He had seen how smitten his father was with his mother, and although it did bring him world-shattering pain to lose her, Eren would rather mourn for a person he loved than live a life devoid of it.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikasa pressed her lips together in a tight line and patted his shoulder, and with a nod, she left. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren fiddled with the ends of his hair in an attempt to rid himself of his guilt. The temptation of going out tonight to clear his head was irresistible, and it killed him to indulge in it whilst being the only time he truly felt alive. He bit his lip and resolved himself to sneak out tonight, for possibly the last time. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case anyone's confuzzled:<br/>So lemme explain, mermaids can live for hundreds of years, but to Eren he considers himself to be just barely an adult since they age slower than humans and other "land-dwelling" creatures. That's why he remembers inklings of what it was like before his father banned them from interacting with the surface, and that's why the majority of the surface, or humans, for that matter see merfolk as either myths or sea monsters.<br/>And as for the painful process of getting golden tattoos, that was inspired by the clams that clamped onto the little mermaids tail in the Andersen's work as a show of status. But I was like "how can I make this badass?" lol and it was another way of showing how suffocating Eren's status is and how greatly mer culture values strength and combat skills. </p><p>Thanks for making it to the end of this chapter, here have a Hanji and Erwin face ✨(っ◔︣◡◔᷅)っc(◕︣◡◕᷅c)✨</p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!<br/>(And if you wanna check out my other Ereri/Riren AU, it's called Phoenix)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3: It Will Bring You Sorrow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you regular_john for beta reading!!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Levi did not expect to meet such an unruly gang for his statue’s unveiling “party”. With their rambunctious laughing and ear-splittingly loud music. Not to mention the shaggy-haired dog that bounded across the deck, and panted obnoxiously. </p><p>Isabel and Furlan would’ve loved this, the prince thought idly. Then suppressed the onslaught of guilt that stabbed at his heart like sharp knives at the thought of his former family. </p><p>The wealthy had celebrations for the most mundane things. But this group didn’t seem to be a particularly snobby bunch, and the silver-eyed prince understood that the sculpture took hundreds of hours to craft something worthy of the royal palace. </p><p>So, Levi could excuse their unorganized behavior, because of their otherwise chipper demeanor. And although the prince loathed their carelessness attitudes, as if there was nothing in the world that could hurt them, he also appreciated it. Seeing that he could never adopt such a temperament. </p><p>Oluo Bozado acted as Armin’s temporary replacement for the night, and he was doing everything in his power to get on Levi’s nerves. He had a healthy respect for the knight, hence the reason he was chosen. But the man copied his every move to the T, from Levi’s sharp default stare to the way that he stood. That, in itself, was fine, Levi could feel faintly flattered by the behavior. Yet, despite this obvious admiration for the prince, he constantly made snide comments under his breath about the very man he was trying to emulate. </p><p>In all honesty, Levi would’ve already beaten the man to a pulp if he wasn’t so young. Despite the prominent lines that creased into his face and his propensity to wear a full set of armor even when it was unnecessary, Bozado had only passed nineteen winters; he had barely lived life. Hell, when Levi was nineteen, he was doing everything in his power to piss everyone off by doing the absolutely most dumbass shit that he could think of. Plus, Bazodo was one of the best fighters of his age group, and it would be a shame for one of their best knights to lose a limb or two. </p><p>As they walked on board, the smell of beer and fish permeated his senses most unpleasantly, Levi scrunched his nose subtly but his feeble sense of propriety dubbed it un-princely to comment. Instead, he cleared his throat. </p><p>“Oh!” A boy with a blond buzzcut in modest clothing stumbled over to the prince, and his knight with a pint of beer in hand as he clumsily attempted a bow, “Your Highness, welcome onboard The Queen Maria, she’s a beaut isn’t she?”</p><p>Levi nodded amicably, “Yes.” The Queen Maria was an impeccably built ship, with her glossy wooden floors, and pristine white sails that satisfied the detail-orientated prince. The crow’s nest stood proudly in the middle of the deck, with a thick rope ladder leading up to the top. </p><p>“And nice to meet you too, sir knight man,” The kid slurred, and threw an arm around a startled Oluo, “Lemme show you some cool shit.” He said, taking the knight to the back end of the deck. </p><p>“Apologies for his behavior, Your Highness. Connie’s an imbecile,” A stiff blond woman greeted Levi, she wore a navy military uniform that consisted of a navy blue waistcoat decorated in the appropriate medals to signify her status as well as fitted white pants and shin-high leather boots, more accustomed for formal events than a regular day out at sea. This must be the captain if the glittering medals were an indicator, “Pleased to meet you, Your Highness.” She stuck out a white-gloved hand, and Levi shook with his own black, leather-clad hand. </p><p>“Likewise, Captain…” Levi trailed off. </p><p>“Annie Leonhart, but you may call me Annie.” Her grip was firm. </p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind,” Levi had a feeling he’d have to watch his back with this one, calculating blue eyes reminding him eerily of a particular Marquess. </p><p>She nodded and assumed her position behind the wheel and made commands to her crew as they began to set sail. The sky was turning varying hues of purples and oranges as if the sun set the sky aflame as it was swallowed by endless expanses of salty waves. Levi couldn’t help but be struck with a sudden sense of awe and understanding for people like Annie and her crew who devoted their lives to the sea. </p><p>He spotted a familiar face, of the man who studied his own for hours on end to capture his “essence”, Bertolt Hoover, the reclusive yet eccentric artist. He was standing at the edge of the deck, looking over the railing, next to a tall cloth-covered figure the Prince could only assume was the statue he was here for. </p><p>Levi slides next to the artist quietly, maintaining a respectful distance, knowing how easily spooked Hoover got when Levi was in his vicinity, “Good evening, Hoover.” </p><p>He tensed at the sound of Levi’s sardonic voice, “O-oh, good evening your-your highness, I’m glad you could make it.” He managed to stutter out. </p><p>Hoover was young. Too young. His ashy black hair was cropped short for convenience, which made his oblong face look even longer. He had a straight nose and deep-set dark blue eyes that some would say resembled the depths of the sea. His willowy figure towered over the older prince, as he was adorned in slightly higher quality clothing than the average man as he was able to buy more things with the royal family’s commissions. </p><p>Levi hummed noncommittally, “I trust that you did good work?” </p><p>“Of-of course! At least I hope I did…” Hoover mumbled out, and Levi let it slide. For a boy who works with royalty and shitty nobles daily, Levi would think he wouldn’t be so unnerved by the prince. </p><p>Or maybe it was just Levi’s brusque manner and hardened eyes that made the boy so anxious. </p><p>And with that, Levi drifted to different parts of the boat, getting well acquainted with the scenery and people. Some were nobles who came for the drinks and music, others were crew members who relished in all of the luxuries of the gathering whilst working to keep the ship on track in shifts. </p><p>The Connie boy seemed to be a gunner, surprisingly enough, since it took years of practice to become proficient at aiming cannons and manning the artillery. The Captain was known for her impossibly high standards and iron fist, so to be able to have been trusted with such a responsibility already showed the prince how much aptitude the seemingly lackadaisical boy displayed in the field. </p><p>Another crew member, Sasha Blouse, a freckled, bright-eyed woman, with a slightly crooked nose and a restless body, was the cook. It was not as jarring of a discovery considering that the woman was obsessed with food and would not quit chattering about the “perfect potato” in her drunken stupor. </p><p>Sitting in the corner, lounging with a glass in hand was the Ambassador of Utopia, Gunther Schultz, customarily portentous and quiescent scanning the rambunctious crowd with thinly-veiled interest. As though he was taking note of every minuscule detail of the “party”. His hair was neatly combed and ashen black, his skin a dark tan, and eyes a muted brown. For a man with quite frankly an intimidating aura, Levi didn’t feel the need to pay him much attention. He was presumably here on behalf of Petra Ral, the Imperial Princess of Utopia, for peace talks and the potential prospects of courting. </p><p>Levi wasn’t entirely opposed to the offer, however, the princess’s efforts were becoming increasingly persistent. He had shared a mere dance with her at a ball last year, where he was revealed as the next heir to Trost’s throne. He had figured that her infatuation with the charming facade he had donned that evening would fade. Apparently it had not. The prince surmised, an alliance between their countries would be beneficial. But there were more than enough offers to sift through before he could make a concrete decision.  </p><p>A tall, muscular, blond with the stance of a soldier and the smile of a noble by the name of Reiner Braun had made conversation with the prince. He was fine enough, with his wide nose, square jaw, and herculean build. For all intents and purposes, outwardly he presented himself as a well-mannered, personable young man with the heart of a leader. He even kept the disheveled and poorly groomed dog entertained with various trinkets.  But there was something in those narrow amber eyes that kept Levi on edge.</p><p>The silver-eyed prince inwardly made a note of his gut feeling, knowing better than to let mere appearances fool him. </p><p>Leonhart called for everyone’s attention in a relatively no-nonsense tone, halting their celebration for a moment to unveil the statue, as Levi regards the group with polite disinterest as he becomes the center of attention, as though he hasn’t been for the entirety of the evening. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Eren’s jaw nearly dropped to the ocean floor when he caught sight of a <em> ship </em>sailing in his inky waters. And it wasn’t one of those fishing boats that were wholly uninteresting to the mer-prince since he’s already satiated his curiosity of those a couple of months ago. All thoughts of savoring his last time seeing the night sky vanished into thin air. </p><p>No, this ship had a unique silhouette, as though it was made for something entirely different. Why would land dwellers need ships for anything other than fishing? Traveling perhaps?  </p><p>Eren gnawed on his soft bottom lip, knowing that if he passed up the opportunity to get an up-close inspection of the peculiar form of transportation, he may never get another chance to do so. He could hear Mikasa and his father screaming at him to swim away as quickly as he could.</p><p>But his inquiring mind wanted to pry that boat apart and draw out as much information as he possibly could for the slightest hint of what life on the surface would be like. His heart threatened to breach his chest. </p><p>He slips off his familiar rock as silently as he could, as though the land-dwellers could hear his soft splash from such a distance. Maybe they could, he had no idea who or <em>what </em>was manning the ship. For all he knew, these land-dwellers could’ve been a ban of pirates or royalty. The possibilities were endless. </p><p>The gills embedded on the sides of his neck quivered in anticipation as he tried to steel himself for his oncoming decision. As though he hadn’t already resolved himself to inspect this curious contraption, crawling with potentially hostile creatures. </p><p>The crown prince became acutely aware of his lack of adequate weaponry, he had never summoned a weapon on land and was not keen on testing it out in the midst of battle. If things went south, the only thing he could depend on as weapons were his scales and fins. Hopefully, he’d be cunning enough to avoid detection whilst still getting what he came there to get. </p><p>He deftly dove underneath the waves, noting how unusually choppy they became. A storm was coming. </p><p>Eren resurfaced next to the ship, not one barnacle latched onto the bottom half of the vessel from what he inspected. It must’ve been new. How peculiar. Could this have been a new model or was this meticulously taken care of? Or both? The prince thought idly as he ran his webbed fingers over the hard material of the boat. He had learned a couple of years prior that land-dwellers commonly used wood to stay afloat at sea, the prince could only assume that this semi-rough material was just that. Although it seemed to be more polished than the usual fishing ships he has swum across. This added to Eren’s growing theory that this ship had to be carrying some sort of precious cargo. He couldn’t rule out the theory that this vessel could have been used for militaristic purposes, which shot a spear of anxiety through his chest. </p><p>But it would take more than imminent danger to deter Eren Yeager.</p><p> A peculiar sound rang through the air, rhythmic and pleasant. The prince swiftly inspected the side of the ship, finding a small opening near the source of what he could only guess was the land dwellers’ form of music. There were decorative ledges of smooth wood that worked well for climbing. </p><p>Whilst hauling himself up to the small opening, Eren couldn’t help but feel perplexed at how <em>heavy </em>his body felt without the ocean’s buoyancy to propel him. But he paid it no mind and focused on the task at hand. </p><p>Just as he got up to the opening, there was another ledge below it, just the right height for Eren to peek his head through without having to grapple onto the hole for support. He let out a small huff in relief, the likelihood of getting caught being lowered with his small advantage. The music has gotten louder and the warm light brighter. </p><p>After situating himself on the now slippery ledge to the best of his ability, he took a shaky breath of stale air through his nose, looking down, he was quite a ways up, quite literally a fish out of water. The blackened waves he had become so well acquainted with slammed against the ship with such animosity, the prince nearly feared that his father had noticed his disappearance and tracked him down. </p><p>Eren could hear his heart’s insistent thumps, overpowering the sound of music and laughter. <em>Oh</em>, he thought giddily, <em>Your kind is capable of joy</em>. He peered through the window, bracing himself for anything. </p><p>Instead, the scene he had come upon was… quite mundane yet exhilarating. Eren’s sharp gaze roamed from one land-dweller to another, taking in their boisterous laughs and shuffling feet. One girl had attached herself to a shorter man with aberrantly short blond hair, to the point where Eren could see his scalp. For a moment the merman was aghast at the man’s blatant show of weakness. But the pair of legs delightfully reminded him that they were not playing by the same rules that he did. </p><p>Eren tried to find a pair of iridescent wings or pointed ears amongst the people in the crowd, only to discover rounded ears and wingless backs. He quickly ruled out the possibility of the majority being fae or elven.</p><p>They must’ve been human, Eren realized, pleasantly surprised by his own excitement. Humans were an interesting bunch, only a select few possessed a talent for magic, the rest made do with what was given in front of them. Out of all the races, humans were known to cultivate the most creativity to outwit their shortcomings. At least that’s what’s he’s gained from the scraps of knowledge he was able to pilfer from forbidden texts, and Rico Brzenska, the court physician and healer, whom Eren had managed to whittle away her hard exterior and had been rewarded with extensive knowledge of the medicinal uses of various plants and corals as well as glimpses of the past. Before Eren’s mother had died. </p><p>Rico had a soft spot for the annoyingly persistent crown prince, but she loathed to admit it, and if asked she would deflect coldly. </p><p>The healer had been a soldier, once upon a time, but resigned from the front lines after learning she had more of an affinity for healing spells than she ever did with calling upon battle runes. </p><p>As his multi-colored eyes sucked in every bit of detail.</p><p>The prince’s breath hitched.</p><p>A flash of silver was enough for his fickle heart to settle. </p><p>The man’s posture was that of royalty, straight and exuding confidence in every movement. And it comforted Eren, as the rules of nobility bypassed centuries of separation and differing cultures. But there was something slightly off about his movements, as though he, for just a millisecond, second-guessed the confidence in his stance, the arrogance in his gaze. It was like watching a youngling training with a trident for the fiftieth time, the gestures and jabs were ingrained in memory yet inexperience limited them. Eren had learned ages ago that training did not make skills habitual, experience did. The man’s inexperience endeared the prince more than he thought possible. </p><p>A face like chiseled marble, pale and angular. His inky hair was cropped short in a neat but odd style, but he was starting to get the drift that humans had a fondness for shorter hair. Eyes showed silver and mercury in the warm lights that served only to halo his trim figure, brimming with power underneath the ostentatiously complicated cloth that wrapped around him like a shield from the world. Although the dark ensemble was, no doubt, elegantly crafted, Eren saw no need in concealing a certainly breathtaking sight. Rico had mentioned that humans had an outlandish sense of propriety, he had not realized to what extent it was until this moment. </p><p>As Eren studied the man, he couldn’t help but notice a pang of nostalgia.  The sight made him tongue-tied and woefully naive, as though he was peering at the night sky for the first time like he could grasp the stars from the heavens. </p><p>The mer-prince’s eyes drew to the man’s lips, they had quirked up in a slight smirk that only served to further melt Eren’s brain to the point where he didn’t even take note of the lack of fangs. He was talking to a particularly lanky boy with a habit of making himself seem shorter than he actually was. </p><p>A creature walking on four legs, covered in lengthy hair bounded across the floor, headed straight towards the regal man at full force, nearly knocking him down. The creature was cute, Eren supposed, in the way seals or whales were, with their eager wide eyes and gentle nature. A small quirk of an eyebrow was the only reaction the animal got, but his intriguing eyes softened just a fraction, barely noticeable to anyone who wasn’t paying attention. </p><p>Eren’s heart jumped and idly thought how soft to the touch the man’s hair must’ve been. </p><p>“Attention,” A booming voice, feminine and commanding, called everyone’s attention, “Please allow Bertolt to unveil his creation.” </p><p>He nearly slipped off of his perch, already slick with saltwater and rocking tumultuously to the point where he dug his sharpened nails into the wood to stay still. <em> We speak the same language</em>, he thought, getting lightheaded at the implications that tidbit held. But despite the familiar words, her accent was entirely foreign to the prince, it felt weaker, as though they allowed the air to carry their words rather than relying on the strength of their vocal cords. </p><p>Which, Eren acquiesced, was justifiable. Considering that sounds, however minuscule they may be, traveled through the air like silk. </p><p>Eren tore his gaze away from the king, prince, or whatever noble title he must’ve held, to a blonde woman with a piercing gaze and a petite yet solid build. She reminded him of a particularly strict sister, especially with that reprimanding tone.</p><p>  The lanky boy seemed to quail underneath the attention of the masses, but visibly pushed back the instinct to clear his throat, <em> Bertolt</em>, Eren noted, “Fir-first I would like to thank Her Imperial Highness for providing the funds for this statue, it is my honor to serve.” He turned his gaze to a man sitting at a table in the far corner and nodded thanks. </p><p>Out of the corner of his vision, he saw mercury eyes widen a fraction, then assume their deadpanned gaze. “And thank you all for making it to this unveiling, this work has been my pride and joy for the last twelve months.” And with that Bertolt ungracefully pulled off the cloth covering the culmination of his arduous work. The blond man whooped loudly, along with a giggling, freckled brunette.</p><p>Eren couldn’t suppress a gasp, the statue was a breathtaking display of artistic prowess. A nearly perfect imitation of the man Eren had become entirely enamored with over the course of the night. Except there was something <em>off </em>about the work. Maybe it was the heroic stance or prideful expression carved into marble. This Bertolt had emulated the man’s ambrosial features but had not captured the man’s essence. </p><p>Which, the mer-prince figured was because the man who personified the starry sky could not be captured in stone without sacrificing a particular sense of flare this Imperial Princess presumably wished for. For the night sky held its pulchritude in its subtlety and graceful silence. Not ostentatious pride and heroics. </p><p>The epitome of reality versus fiction. Eren much preferred the real thing but could appreciate the work put into such a piece. </p><p>Something clicked in the merman’s head. He must’ve been not just mere nobility, but a prince. No princess would be chasing after him and no statues would be gifted otherwise. It corresponded with his thinly veiled confidence and the subtle way the crowd seemed to take a nearly predatory gaze towards him. Not unlike Eren’s own experience in the field of sharklike crowds, looking to tear him apart with one improper flick of his tail. </p><p>All it took was one thing. One glance. One mistake. One flippant wave. </p><p>Uncertain royalty rarely held longevity.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The King should support Eren's "academic" pursuits.<br/>A hot human prince catches Eren's attention, oh no what shall he ever do? Perhaps throw his crown and title away for a pair of legs that may or may not hurt him every step he takes? Ha ha jk... Unless?<br/>Also, a lot of people seem to forget that Oluo was just barely an adult when he died (in cannon), and I always found it funny how often he "dissed" Levi whilst trying to emulate everything about him. It's a petulant aspect of his character that I found funny in AoT, but it also reminds you acutely of his age and lack of experience in life, despite being one of the most skilled members in Squad Levi. I wished we got more of Squad Levi in cannon, but honestly, I wouldn't change the original at all because it's so interesting and the foreshadowing and care put into the storyline is absolutely breathtaking.<br/>Also, can we appreciate Levi's eyes? Like damn. They're the hardest thing to write bc they always change in lighting and they're not black, but they're not grey, but they're not blue, the only word to describe them is metallic. Smh. </p><p>Congrats you made it to the end of the chapter here's a Marco face!  ‿◠≦✌ </p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All my pfps are of a turtleduck from avatar lol<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!<br/>(If you wanna check out my other Ereri/Riren fic it's another AU called Phoenix and it's much longer than this one rn)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4: Flectere Si Nequeo Superos, Acheronta Movebo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you regular_john for beta reading this chapter!<br/>Notice:<br/>I changed the title from Heads or Tails to The Sun-Kissed Sea.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bertolt had finished off with his, albeit, insanely awkward speech. He thanked <em> Prince Levi </em>for his presence.</p><p><em> Prince Levi </em>responded, his voice assuming a deep tone, devoid of emotion. The merman hadn’t paid any mind to the words he said and instead focused on how those lips formed them. Purely for informational purposes. Naturally.  </p><p>The party had reverberated back as it was, and Eren continued to scan the warm scene. Committing everything and everyone to memory. He would never have the chance to see these characters in the same place ever again. It was both a mournful and exciting thought. </p><p>Eren’s fangs slightly punctured his bottom lip, having gnawed on it to the point where he drew blood. He barely felt the small slice of pain that accompanied the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. His chest panged with something akin to sympathy for the man before him, preened and prodded by forward gazes and jaunty gifts meant to decorate but never to cherish. </p><p>Although, he was acutely aware that he may or may not be projecting his emotions onto a presumably blank yet breathtaking canvas. Unbeknownst to the other’s plights, or if he had any, to begin with, especially with how little he managed to derive from the other’s minuscule facial expressions. </p><p>Eren shook his head and decided to expel such indolent thoughts from his mind. There was no use speculating or admiring a man who is evidently in the middle of a mating ritual with another, as instantaneously infatuated as he was, he still held a shred of courtesy. Contrary to popular opinion. </p><p>Pure white ripped through the inky sky in jagged bolts, blindingly incandescent followed by a sonorous yet hollow <em>boom </em>erupted from the clouds that had been slowly but steadily obstructing the stars and moon from Eren’s keen vision.</p><p>And for a single moment, the merman was once again struck by a sense of awe. The surface held so many phenomena he had never been privy to. </p><p>He had never seen a storm in the flesh, he only knew to look for the signs when he relished in his small freedoms, and to delve into the safety of the waves when he encountered them. </p><p><em> A storm is a death sentence</em>, Rico had once warned him when he asked too many questions about the subject. One of the only warnings Eren had ever heeded, and he didn’t even know what it meant.</p><p>Until now. </p><p>Bereft of proper oxygen, the golden prince deeply inhaled stale air, steadying himself on the now violently rocking boat. </p><p>Droplets of water descended from the sky, pelting Eren’s bare skin like darts. Annoying, but not nearly as terrifying as the incessant waves crashing onto the side of the ship, threatening to fling Eren off.</p><p> His nails dug painfully into polished wood, his hair whipped in the turbulent winds, and he could barely hear the flurry of footsteps and booming commands emanating from the passengers. Undoubtedly trying to seize control of their vessel.</p><p>A fruitless yet noble attempt on their part. </p><p>Despite his best efforts, the vessel flung him into the depths. </p><p>Momentarily disoriented, Eren resurfaced just in time to watch in horror as jagged white beams tore right into a seemingly wooden pillar with a barrel secured to the tip, causing it to erupt in blazing reds and yellows; keenly reminding Eren of the handful of sunsets he had managed to grasp at in his youth. </p><p>But there was something different from the peaceful tranquility of watching the sky transform from afar. No. This was something carnal. Angry and devastating. The blazing red devoured every inch it could caress, lapping at the vessel, not unlike the blackened waves. </p><p>He had no word to name the beast shrouded in the sunset’s palette. It was unlike a Kraken, yet had the nature of such. </p><p>All he could do was gaze in awe at the humans fleeing from the sunset beast. </p><p>Ardently, he made a count of the men and women piling in two smaller-sized vessels. Much less grand than the one that was being consumed. His gills stuttered in relief as he spotted the flash of silver he had been unconsciously hunting for. </p><p>That relief was short-lived when he saw <em> Levi </em>jump out of the crew’s pathetic attempt at safety. Swimming right into the monster’s mouth, as it sought to encapsulate and devour the vessel that had been so incredibly bewitching just moments before. </p><p>A shrill bark could be heard from Eren’s position as waves fought to pull him under along with the crew members. </p><p>This man, this uncertain royalty, was not only elegant and fearless but also an absolute dunce with a fondness for adorable, seal-like creatures. </p><p>How could he get any more breathtaking? </p><p>
  <br/>
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</p><p>He shed his stiff overcoat and tossed it to Oluo. Wordlessly he dove into the water with one goal in mind. </p><p>Levi yearned to slam his head right into the base of the ship. Truly, it was an impulsive decision to rescue a dog that would either drown or be burnt to a crisp. Maybe it was Isabel’s nagging voice in the back of his head, screaming at him to save the helpless creature as she did when they were children. Or maybe it was his conscience, one he had been under the impression was dead for years now. </p><p>Waves threatened to topple him into the depths. He paid them no mind. He had committed to saving that damned dog. </p><p>Vaguely, he could hear Oluo cursing and other crew members calling out for him, their voices futile compared to the blunt force of the wind howling in Levi’s ears. </p><p>Quickly, he climbed up the ship, silently thanking whatever gods out there that grasping at slick surfaces had been a necessity in his childhood. </p><p>Rain gathered in his eyelashes, and the proximity to flames scorched his chilled body. Strangely enough, in the light the flame allowed the prince to see something akin to claw marks marred the once pristine side of the ship. Although bizarre, Levi absolved from thinking about it too closely, considering he had bigger issues to deal with. </p><p>The dog’s shrill bark sounded from the edge of the burning boat, the former thug managed to scrape his way to the top. Narrowly avoiding a terrifyingly powerful wave crashing into the side of the boat, it lurched to the side, nearly knocking Levi straight into the flames. The heat threatened to broil his cheeks, the dog’s bark being the only thing he could use to locate the damned pet. </p><p>His eyes frantically searched the ship, as masts and sails toppled over, threatening to suffocate and burn the prince with his stupidity.</p><p>Thankfully, the shaggy deadbeat stood at the other side of the deck, barking frantically for help. Levi felt something akin to kinship with this dog, knowing what it was like to be left alone and vulnerable in a virulent position. </p><p>His instincts kicked in, he ran towards the pet, just as one of the mast’s base creaked in protest as it started to tilt over. The flames licked at Levi’s arms, and he reached out, grasped the dog, and in one swift move, threw him overboard to the lifeboat. Thankful and mildly concerned to see that the crew members were so close to the burning vessel. </p><p>He took a step back and prepared to jump when a resounding <em>boom </em>erupted from the base of the ship. Mere milliseconds before he jumped, he could feel his back broil and a force knock the air out of his strained lungs. </p><p>The blistering pain was the only thing he remembered before the world turned dark.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Levi's a closeted softy. And that's about the only thing he shoves in the closet...<br/>We're one step closer into getting into the good shit... sea witches, angry fathers, and Eren's "little" cove. And the ultimate pining. </p><p>Kudos for making it to the end of the chapter here's an Oluo face ( ˘︹˘ ) </p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!<br/>(And if you wanna check out my other Ereri/Riren AU, it's called Phoenix)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5: Den Lille Havfrue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I'm back.<br/>Thank you Regular_John for beta reading!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eren’s gaze morphed from awe to panic to hopeful then back to panic. A flurry of emotions took hold of his chest, conquering his ever-growing curiosity with a fervor he had never known.</p><p>He had little time to act when Levi had been blown out of the vessel by a loud invisible force, plummeting the man straight into a sea of debris. He sank like a stolen treasure. As his form made Eren’s stomach hollow and his heart triple in speed at the thought of losing something so precious so soon.</p><p>None of his comrades could get to him without entangling themselves with certain death. Those humans acted as though they had been far too acquainted with death to ever dare to test him again. If Eren had possessed the time, he would’ve felt irked by their cowardice.</p><p>The mer-prince dove into the depths, finding the other man quickly enough to bring him to the surface of the waves as the storm flurried around them. The familiar tug of mana encircled his arms, allowing him enough strength to keep Levi’s head above water.</p><p>But the waves would not cease their encroaching, assailing Levi’s airways at any opportunity presented to them.</p><p>Eren circled his arms around his waist, hoisting both of their bodies above another audacious wave. He couldn’t tell if it was his heart thundering or the storm encompassing his senses. He couldn’t bring himself to care. All that mattered was getting this man to safety. Consequences be damned.</p><p>Acquiring the strength to plunder through the waves, his pulse thundering and his body begging for proper oxygen whilst attempting to provide the man in his arms with a constant supply. He had tried to keep his fins from doing damage to Levi’s woefully delicate skin, as he could feel blood seeping into the water. He did not know how, but it was a steady yet incessant tugging at his mana.</p><p>It worried him, but he had no means of finding the source of the blood flow without inadvertently killing the human prince.</p><p>Foreign smooth skin and a torn silken garment pressed against Eren’s chest as he gripped onto him tighter than he had before. It was a grounding sensation, comforting even.<br/>
It felt like mere seconds, yet also days on end before Eren breached the shore with a still unconscious human in his arms. The waves had ceased and the sky had cleared, leaving cloudless blue and a rising sun.</p><p>Seagulls flew overhead, and Eren’s heart nearly stopped in anticipation. In fear.</p><p>Even in all his daring and audacity, he had never made it this far. He had wanted to, to go as far as traversing to the surf, before convincing himself against it. Convinced that if he went back home his Father could sense the surface burrowing into his son’s being.</p><p>He knew what his Father did to those who rebelled against his isolationist policies. He knew that even with his status he would not be spared from the same punishment. Maybe he wouldn’t become Forsaken like the merfolk before him.</p><p>But imprisonment was worse than curses and banishment could ever be. And his Father knew that.</p><p>That didn’t matter right now. Not when Eren couldn’t feel the rise and fall of Levi’s breath even whilst holding him as close to his body as he could. Recognizing that this would doubtlessly be the last time he’d ever get to see a human up close or to touch one. But more importantly, this would be the last time he would see Levi again.</p><p>Unless another misfortune would befall upon Levi whilst Eren is there to swim to his aid.</p><p>Eren’s gills stuttered, and his grip tightened slightly around Levi’s waist.</p><p>Levi’s wet hair tickled his chin as his head lolled unto Eren’s shoulder. Like his body had turned into limp seaweed. Troubling to say the least.</p><p>He could see a massive structure built straight off the coast. When he had first seen it, he had immediately pinpointed it as a type of castle. None like any other he had seen before. Spires reached towards the sky in an attempt to greet the sun, walls made of uniform rock stood proud and sturdy as the castle melded into the coast. Rock formations serving as a natural deterrent for whoever needed it.</p><p>The structure spoke of elegance and power, as any castle should. Impressive. Easily a structure he would like to tear apart and pour over with every ounce of his being, it was practically begging for Eren to pinpoint each and every mystery it held within those walls. The prospect was terrifyingly bewitching. For the knowledge of this world weighed over his Father’s head like the spear of an executioner.</p><p>The beach was bereft of human interference at the moment. But the mer-prince loathed to take the chance of someone unearthing the validity of his existence.</p><p>Surface dwellers had dreadfully short life-spans, what merfolk call a quarter of a life, they call generations.</p><p>For all he knew his people have been rendered myths. Sea monsters.</p><p>Eren had only known the surface from the barest hints of memories deriving from being a mere youngling, more concerned with antagonizing his tormentors and tutors than of any free knowledge he could have obtained, and what now had been eradicated.</p><p>It was almost jarring to think that despite his people being acutely aware of civilization on the surface, they had no idea who or what had been residing underneath the waves. It was as though he was looking through one-sided glass all these years.</p><p>Narrowing his bi-colored eyes, he managed to find a spot on land that was relatively out of sight behind a formation of rocks surrounding a small section of sand.</p><p>When he got to this area, he gingerly set Levi on the sand, waves lapping gently at their bodies as Eren regarded his companion with narrowed eyes. Taking in the damage that had been done by the monster summoned from the skies.</p><p>The human prince’s face was littered in small jagged cuts, obscuring his natural marble complexion.</p><p>Eren pressed his head against his chest, ignoring the resounding beat of his own heart, finding the pulse to be shallow, but there. He nearly sobbed in relief.</p><p>Slowly, he turned the unconscious man on his side and Eren’s breath hitched. The once defined muscles of his back were not porcelain, instead, it looked like the monster had ripped out a chunk of his back, leaving brown blotches and glossy tendons and bones protruding from his back. Blood oozed lethargically from a piece of wood wedged into his shoulder blade that managed to pierce an unbitten sliver of skin, staining his white garment red. Grains of sand had stuck to his wounds, making the sight even more grotesque.</p><p>Panicked, Eren scoured his brain for some solution, some trick that would ease his pain. He has never seen a wound like this, no matter how many battles he had lived through. Even Mikasa, in all of her prowess, had never suffered from a wound of this magnitude. Additionally, he had been a lousy student to Rico. But surely she had taught him a healing spell or two.</p><p>Ah, right, He thought.</p><p>Nervously humming a familiar melody, Eren pressed his hand onto the other’s back, feeling the feverish muscles flinch underneath his touch. Scrounging up the reserves of his mana, he allowed it to flow through his arm, the runes engraved in his fingers tingling from the charge.<br/>
His voice grew incrementally more confident as he saw Levi’s muscles start mending together, weaving into the confines of his body. Eren’s head pounded from the overexertion of his reserves but pressed on.</p><p>As gently as he could, Eren pulled out the large splinter of wood before skin could grow over it. Although he doubted that it would have, there was no use taking that risk.<br/>
He tucked a piece of damp auburn locks behind his ear to gain better visual confirmation of the other’s safety. The pressure in his head was still building.</p><p>The mer-prince couldn’t place how much time had passed before Levi’s back had been sufficiently repaired, revealing pale expanses of flawless skin in the bite’s wake.</p><p>Relieved, Eren turned Levi onto his back. His angular face marred with bruises and cuts did not sit well with the mer-prince. His heart had settled and a small part of him wanted to bide his time. To cherish a small moment of utter freedom. He may not have the appendages necessary to fully take in the surface.</p><p>But the gentle press of the damp sand against his scales and the caress of the waves had given Eren a sense of belonging. And for the first time in centuries, he felt at home. Content residing in between worlds.</p><p>Brushing inky hair from his forehead, Eren continued to mend his skin, humming the hymn underneath his breath. Just in case a bystander happened to venture too close. Not noticing his fingers aimlessly stroking the man’s face.</p><p>His skin was cool to the touch, water droplets cascaded down his jaw and gathered in his thick lashes. Despite the darkened circle underneath his eyes, and shredded clothing. He was just as riveting, if not more so up close.</p><p>Eren neglected to feel the stiffness of his scales from being exposed to direct sunlight and the droplets of blood splattering onto the sand near the prince’s head from the incessant bleeding nose he had acquired from overexertion, no matter the waves’ attempts to quell his disregard.</p><p>He could not tear his gaze away. A part of his mind yearned to wait until the prince had awoken to make sure he was okay. To reveal his existence. To get to know more about him. But the other, more logical part screamed at him to get away and to never come back.</p><p>The swell of confidence rising in his chest had collapsed as soon as it arose when Levi stirred in his sleep, unconsciously nuzzling into Eren’s touch.<br/>
The prince’s eyes started to flutter.</p><p>Eren panicked.</p><p> </p><p>Levi expected to wake up drowning. Or dead.</p><p>Instead, he heard a sonorous voice and felt a gentle caress tracing the line of his jaw. And for a brief moment, he allowed himself a moment of weakness and succumbed to the serenity filling his senses, as though warmth was being infused into his bloodstream.</p><p>He didn’t know death could feel so good. Maybe this was the reason why he had witnessed so many people beg for it.</p><p>As he slowly regained consciousness, the voice continued, until Levi managed to pry his eyes open, the voice stuttered then stopped. The only thing Levi could make out in his disorientated state was a flurry of gold and teal.</p><p>But when he fully pried his eyelids open through sheer force of will, nothing was there.</p><p>At this point, Levi was acutely aware of his living body.</p><p>He groaned, his head feeling as though it had been slammed repeatedly into a brick wall. He supported himself on his shoulder, feeling fine sand grains imbed themselves into the bare skin of his back.</p><p>Lethargically scanning the area, he still couldn’t discern how the fuck he got here. Had Annie and the crewmates managed to drag him out of the water before he drowned?</p><p>No. There was no sign of them anywhere near him. No dingy. No obnoxious laughter. Nothing.</p><p>Only the sun shining directly into his eyes, forcing him to squint at the horizon. It was night when he plunged into the water.</p><p>Then it struck him.</p><p>His back.</p><p>Frantically, he sat up, ripping off his shirt and reaching to his back to assess the damage that he had undoubtedly sustained from risking his life for a house pet.</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>No sign of anything. Not even a scar.</p><p>What. The. Fuck.</p><p>He distinctly remembered the awful searing pain that forced him into unconsciousness before he inevitably hit the water.</p><p>What happened?</p><p>Had it all been in his head?</p><p>No. He knew what he felt, and it wasn’t this.</p><p>He inspected his shirt, and for once he was thankful that it had splatters of red seeped into the edges of torn silk fibers.</p><p>Mentally keeping a tally, he checked off potential insanity from the list.</p><p>Then he inspected the area for signs of someone else. There had to be someone. Obviously one skilled enough in healing magic to fully heal a most likely massive wound without leaving so much as a scar in its wake.</p><p>And then he found it. A large dot of blood, staining the sand where his head had been. He knew it wasn’t his as he checked his face for an injury that would justify that amount of blood loss but found none.</p><p>So the singing he had heard wasn’t a figment brought on by his delirious mind. So the divine presumed man who he had thought was death was no entity, but a tangible person.</p><p>Levi sighed, running a hand through his drying hair and grimacing at the grime that had found its way into it, as it was unusually matted and rough. Reminding him much too accurately of his childhood.</p><p>He vowed to meet this person, if not only to thank them for healing a random stranger. Levi still had no idea in hell how his body managed to find itself on the beach with his soul intact, but he wouldn’t be surprised if this healer had also managed to rescue him from a watery grave as well as his wounds.</p><p>Before Levi could open his mouth to inquire whether or not the healer was still there, a familiar shrill voice stopped him in his tracks.</p><p>“LEVIIIII,”</p><p>His shoulders sagged in relief, he had never been more thankful to see Hanji fucking Zoe until this moment.</p><p> </p><p>Eren starred off at the beach, perched on a rock far enough from the prince’s periphery, but not his.</p><p>He watched as another human, one with crazed yet concerned eyes and odd glass circles shrouding them tackle Levi to the ground with a whale-like embrace. The prince patted their back awkwardly, as another arm extended to support himself behind him. The person’s shoulders shook, but their face was obscured from Eren’s vision.</p><p>The mer-prince allowed himself to feel satisfied with the results of his actions, despite feeling the hole starting to form in his chest. The prince had someone to support him, and that was all that mattered.</p><p>Could this have been the person who was attempting to court him? No. Eren shook his head, expelling the thought from his brain as though it was poisonous. This person held him like a worried comrade in arms, relieved to find him alive after battle. Not a lover.</p><p>It felt wrong to tear himself from this scene, especially with the confusion written across the other prince’s angular face, despite his comrade’s apparent belligerence. He seemed to have so many questions.</p><p>Eren’s eyes softened, as he allowed himself to grieve that he never could yield those answers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for not posting in a couple of weeks, school has been a bit hectic since it started. And my other fic is fiving me GRIEF. But I'll try to get that one updated. I might heavily edit this chapter later on down the line because I think I could've gone more in-depth with a couple of scenes since I don't think I described the scenes vividly enough to paint a well thought out picture. So pls be gentle with my dumbass. Thank you. </p><p>Kudos for making it to the end of the chapter, here's my reaction to the recent Aot chapters in the manga (╥︣﹏᷅╥)</p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All the comments and kudos I have been getting have been incredibly motivating, honestly, thank you for getting engaged with my work. You guys are truly amazing TT-TT</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6: Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you regular_john for beta reading!!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Armin Arlert greeted Levi with a slight smile, thousands of weights seemed to be lifted from his shoulders the instant he spotted Levi’s face. </p><p>Knowing the young blond, he had probably put the entirety of the blame on himself, despite not even stepping foot on the ship. </p><p>The entire castle has thought him dead; Captain Leonhart’s reputation had almost been blasted into smithereens had they found his dead body, although it would have been no fault of her own.</p><p>Oluo, directly opposing Armin’s graceful calm, blathered on when he found out Levi was alive. Confessing, well, more like sobbing, he blamed himself for not plunging into the depths to save the prince when the time arose. Thick strands of snot running down his nose, Levi waved off his convoluted diatribe and placated, saying he did the right thing, thinking of himself.</p><p>That only made the blubbering worse. </p><p>Fucking knights. </p><p>Too self-sacrificial for their own good. </p><p>Hanji had forced a full check-up, inspecting his body for the slightest hint of a scratch or bruise. He contemplated telling Hanji about this mysterious healer with an otherworldly voice, deciding against it for the time being. Levi didn’t need Hanji poking around in his head with their weird-ass alchemy if he did happen to divulge such intriguing information. </p><p>Erwin still happened to be in the capital, and hearing of the news he had joined in the search party for Levi’s body of his own volition. Levi felt a pang in his heart when he heard Hanji ramble about this during his forced check-up, he knew Erwin loathed getting his hands, well... hand dirty. </p><p>Moblit had sent his regards, expressing his relief in a fire message when his beloved court physician sent him news of Levi’s miraculous venture from near death. </p><p>Despite all of the newfound positive attention, he still couldn’t get that foreign melody out of his mind. And the man who sang it. </p><p>He couldn’t quite place the words, as though they were in a different language. It sounded ancient, yet simultaneously youthful. Naive even. Timelessness weaved into every muttered syllable and melodic hum. Levi could still feel the faint spark of warmth that surrounded his body, and it had been hours since he had gotten back to the palace. </p><p>He ached to feel it again. He had spent far too much of his life cold.</p><p> </p><p>If Eren survived the rest of the morning, it would be a miracle. </p><p>Lamenting unrequited intrigue on a boulder, land dweller territory did not aid him in his princely duties. Surprisingly enough, it made them harder. </p><p>Thankfully, he had arrived at the concert a moment before the show, starring the crown prince, began. </p><p>Mikasa had not taken kindly to his tardiness. He was supposed to be in the auditorium first thing in the morning. </p><p>As a form of repentance, he had bitten his tongue and allowed Mikasa and his other servants to adorn him in whatever they deemed fit for this <em> momentous </em>occasion; uncharacteristically acquiescing to the whims of various nobles and their repugnant demands. </p><p>His heart hammered, disarranged, nearly manic thoughts filled his head. He swore on his mother’s grave, his father could smell the residual stench of <em> human </em>on his person. Like a shark and a drop of blood. </p><p>The worst of his fears felt as though they were coming to fruition. </p><p>The memory of the Forsaken shadowed Eren like a parasite, feeding on his insecurities whilst amplifying them. </p><p>The Forsaken were Shiganshina’s greatest form of defense, once upon a time. They protected the domain from intruders by turning surface dwellers back or coercing them to drown themselves if they were getting a little too adamant about intruding on their territory. </p><p>When Eren was a youngling, they had yet to be scorned. They were highly revered mages who used a particularly rare form of magic. Instead of encircling mana throughout their bodies in order to provide strength or healing, they mastered the art of projecting mana outwards with stunning precision by infusing their voices with power. </p><p>Sirens had transcended millennia. Generations upon generations of predominantly female warriors had mastered the art as it was seen as a gift bestowed upon them by the Goddess Ymir. They guarded Shiganshina’s borders with ardency; the only thing second to their goddess was their kingdom. It showed in their craft and dedication.</p><p>Their protectors resided in the middle of the two worlds, weaving them cohesively together. Eren had even heard the whisperings of half-breeds deriving from the coupling of a surface dweller and a Siren. Eren had no way of authenticating such a bodacious rumor, but the possibility did not escape him.</p><p>They had gained knowledge and relationships Eren could only dream of obtaining from the surface.  </p><p>Eren had once pilfered a morsel of human mythology and found that Sirens were somewhat akin to the Valkyrie in the sense that they were highly regarded as elite warriors, and were loyal to their King and God. The difference between the Valkyrie and Sirens was that Odin’s warriors regarded him as their God and king. The Sirens’ loyalties were divided between their King and their Goddess. </p><p>This had been known to the royal family and they respected, even revered, the Sirens for their dedication to their faith. </p><p>Until they failed. </p><p>The day Carla Yeager died was the day Sirens had fallen from grace. </p><p>The pirates who had taken the queen had been prepared for the onslaught of alluring voices they were going to be faced with when entering Shiganshina territory. Sirens were no good to them living, they put up too much of a fight. The pirates slaughtered the patrols in cold blood, leaving only one survivor barely alive.</p><p> From what Eren had gathered, they did not intend to abduct royalty but had meant to kidnap any type of merfolk and strip them of parts. </p><p>That day, Eren had convinced his mother to count seagulls on the surface.  </p><p>He would never be able to expunge the look of horror that showed in his mother’s amber eyes as she spotted the ship nearing them too quickly to be on the course of the wind. It had all happened in split seconds. His mother shoved him down into the water, there was a net, then screaming, then jeering laughter. He had tried to come after her but she begged him to leave whilst they were still distracted.</p><p>The small prince had swum straight to his father, but it had been too late. </p><p>Instead of placing the blame on his son, he condemned his beloved warriors. He cut off contact from the surface and forced his sacred warriors to choose: their King or their Goddess. </p><p>In the middle of the throne room and noble court, their once divine protectors chose. Grisha did not take kindly to the divisive decision the Sirens had answered with and lashed out. </p><p>Eren and Mikasa, as younglings watched in horror as he cursed these women,  their once vibrant scales molted into grey, and their tails seemed to rot in mere seconds, their faces shifted and soggy feathers sprouted from their former gills. </p><p>They had become monsters. Grotesque shadows of their former selves. As a show of callous mercy, Grisha allowed them to keep their voices. Stating that if they chose to ally with the surface they must look the part. Hence the birdlike features. They would never be able to soar the skies or swim properly again. </p><p> As a form of imprisonment, Grisha had decided to lock them on three small rocky islands he dubbed Sirenum scopuli. He said that they could practice their wretched beliefs there but they were never to return. </p><p>He had been a King of his word, and allowed them their God but stripped them of the kingdom they devoted their lives and name to. </p><p>Some had fled before this standstill had taken place, and Eren could only hope that they were thriving where they were, away from his Father’s watchful eye. </p><p>So many had sacrificed for Eren’s cowardice, his mother had died because of it. And the Sirens had paid for it. And yet he still hadn’t learned his lesson and continued to pine fruitlessly for a surface that would never accept him and a kingdom that would never follow him. </p><p>The worst thing is there is a part of himself that knows he should have been punished for failing his mother, <em> not </em>them. But there was another, bigger, shameful part of himself that was allayed. </p><p>Startling him out of his reverie, a maiden’s clawed fingers had tugged much too harshly at one of his nipple piercings, trying to secure a thin golden chain of pearls and emeralds. He repressed baring his fangs at the poor maiden, although it did not stop Mikasa from narrowing her already slitted eyes. </p><p>Diaphanous gems dripped down the contours of his lithe figure, finely tailored to make the prince appear elegantly ethereal. Recherché. A tamed pet, antithetical to the monster that characterized his youth.  </p><p><em> Oh how the nobles will salivate </em>, Eren thought mirthlessly.</p><p>He did not know when everything shifted. When he became desired instead of respected. But he had loathed it to his core. His comrades had suddenly become flustered in his presence, nobles treating him as a delectable delicacy that could only be bought at the highest of prices. </p><p>To think that he was delectable would assume that someone had already pilfered a taste. </p><p>Yes, he was acutely aware of his brassy glamour and revere. His status and bloodline. He would not deny the fact that his bone structure could have been one of the reasons for this shift. But it still baffled him. </p><p>Why would these people desire something so scale deep? His soul was mangled beyond repair. He relished in betraying his people’s safety for <em> sightseeing </em>. To satiate a curiosity that had gotten his mother killed. And even now, he was ravenous for more. He was relieved an entire culture had been cursed as long as he evaded it. He nurtured rage so close to his heart that he feared it had become it. He cared too deeply yet not enough. </p><p>There was no reason to desire something so cataclysmically shattered. </p><p>Yet here he was. </p><p>A delectable delicacy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A little world-building, because Eren always has to blame himself for his mother's death. It's a truth that pervades nearly every angsty au.<br/>Basically Eren: I know I'm beautiful, but I still suck.<br/>Here's a little info dump:<br/>Also, jewelry works the way clothes work on the surface. It's a show of wealth, prosperity, and strength. You know. Bourgeoisie stuff. In this AU, at least, merfolk hold a lot of emphasis on gold, emeralds, and pearls. Gold can mean different things, but as said before, it is the physical manifestation of strength and magic. Since gold can conduct magic the most efficiently throughout the body. Peace, balance, and prophecy are mainly attributed to emeralds. Pearls often represent incorruptibility and perfection, a bit ironic how pearls seem to adorn Eren as much as gold is.<br/>As for sirens, I needed a reason why the surface would be adverse to merfolk since hundreds of years of isolation could do a lot to damage a reputation. A grief-ridden curse, that serves to make my plot infinitely more complicated and is somehow still vaguely accurate to the original Greek myth of Sirens, is just what I needed.<br/>Fun fact that may never be mentioned: Marco's mother was a siren.<br/>Info dump over. </p><p>Kudos for making it this far, here have an Oluo face ಥ_ಥ</p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!<br/>(If you wanna check out my other Ereri/Riren fic it's another AU called Phoenix and it's much longer than this one rn)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7: The Heart in His Rugged Chest was Pounding, Torn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you regular_john for beta reading!<br/>Quote: "The heart in his rugged chest was pounding, torn" by Homer</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sea did not lack, compared to the glimpse of the surface the prince had managed to pilfer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sea was an abundance of blue hues and striking vibrancy. Stained glass, crafted by their best artisans and mages, acted as a dome for the auditorium; allowing the scarce rays of stubborn sun spear through the glass depicting various figures originating from myths as well as former kings and queens and their conquests. The stage was grander than life, crystalline, and gaudy in the most elegant of ways. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren flicked his tail swiftly, if not a bit nervously towards the stage. He had never been afflicted with stage fright in the centuries he had been alive, but despite that, he could not shake the feeling of a pair of familiar caramel eyes following his frame. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damn Kirstein and his annoyingly perceptive nature. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Eren possessed the regret to feel guilty, he would have. His mind, however, was preoccupied with vulnerable pale skin and silken hair. None of which he could bring himself to feel remorse for feeling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Marco Bodt, a fellow guard, was there to shield Eren from his merciless gaze; enough to allow Eren to open his mouth to sing some contrived and borderline patriotic tune that he knew full well what it would do to his salivating nobles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe they’d start a bid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wondered how high he would sell for, and if his father would take the deal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He, for once, allowed the facade of a demure prince to take control of his features, expressing an empty love for the merfolk who were gathered today. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all for naught. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once, he had been told that it was his eyes that gave away his feelings when he wasn’t tactlessly expressing them through other means. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After his bit was finished, he was pummeled with praise and gifts. All of which had been handed off to whatever guard was next to Eren at the time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he was ungrateful. And terribly so. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe some of those gifts were given with the best of intentions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren had learned to be wary of easy smiles and “good” intentions, for those had ripped what little trust he had from his heart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing in life could ever be attained without a price. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could not gain his crown without chains fastening themselves to his wrists. He could not breach the waves to the surface without being accompanied by guilt, which was chains in their own way. He could not create connections without being used in the process. And he could not enjoy the pleasure of healing a human without him being severely injured beforehand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren felt as though he was layering invisible shackle upon shackle upon shackle, continuously weighing him down over the years until he hit the depths of his father’s domain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In all its beauty and vibrance, the sea had once been his embodiment of freedom yet was now anything but. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could never imagine a life where the sea did not revolve around it. Even when the endless expenses of blue tinges his chest with resentment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was about choice, he supposed. If he were born a land-dweller and was told that he could never see the sea without putting his livelihood on the line, he undoubtedly would. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could not have one without the other without feeling as though thousand-foot walls surrounded his very being. Protecting him from what?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing in life could ever be attained without a price. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bravery was exchanged for protection. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both worlds were immersed in their own histories, lore, and technologies. Eren had yet to discern every nook and secret there was of his own, but there was something </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Missing puzzle pieces that resided where he couldn’t reach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was utter torture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nobody understood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jean’s eyes rarely left him throughout his performance, unwittingly invoking the prince’s ire. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was the purpose of fixing his gaze on the prince when he had a perfectly beautiful and willing comrade at his side? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren would not have minded if his gaze had not turned from something akin to suspicion and concern, something disgustingly sappy and forlorn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only acknowledgment he gave the guard was a slight nod in his direction, hoping in vain that it got his eyes to tear away from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikasa swam up to him, draped in her own sets of gold, pearl, and ruby; as stunning and well-kept as she always is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were good,” Mikasa stated simply. She never felt the need for flowery embellishments, which had always been a characteristic Eren appreciated from his sister. </span>
</p><p><span> “Only ‘good’?” He smirked, “I thought I was better than that.” </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>They were shuffled into a somewhat secluded corner, slightly away from the flittering nobles vying for the siblings’ attention. Knowing their place well enough not to interrupt them. </span></p><p>
  <span>“You seem distracted.” Her narrow eyes bore into his soul, scrutinizing every tiny detail etched into his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Goddess, his gills stuttered lightly, if he could sink into the wall he would.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren shrugged, “I always am.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikasa pouted slightly, “Have you been getting any sleep?” She brought her webbed fingers to his under eye, pressing as lightly as she could with her godlike strength, “You have dark circles.” </span>
</p><p><span>“Thank you for telling me </span><em><span>before</span></em><span> I went on stage.” He blustered, huffing a bit. Did he truly look so worn out? </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>She hummed, “There wasn’t enough time.” Eren gently swatted her hand away, “You should get more sleep, instead of fooling around with…” She trailed off, fully aware that the walls had otoliths. </span></p><p>
  <span>Eren nearly gasped, a nasty habit he had acquired on his escapades above the waves, his mouth forming an “o”, maybe Jean’s infatuation could be a fortuitous cover for last night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I’ll try.” He amended. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her worries were never unfounded, but he’d like for her to keep thinking they are. For the time being at least. She would report straight to Father if she ever felt that there was an inkling of a doubt that his allegiances laid anywhere near the surface. She saw him as merely sating his curiosity with sunken ships and minuscule four-pronged tridents. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he’d prefer to keep it that way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Mikasa diverted her attention elsewhere, Eren made his way to greet his Father. As he should have done hours ago. His tail flicked nervously, twitching with residual adrenaline he had thought he had already shirked. It flared through his veins, reminding him dimly of the heat the sunset beast had seared into his skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning Father,” Eren bowed dutifully, showing respect where it is necessary but nothing more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grisha was an imposing figure on his golden throne, looking over his subjects with an apathy yet fervency only a God can muster. His features were gaunt and sharp, his eyes a weary teal. Customary tattoos and runes ran down the length of his arms and torso, thick golden bands inked into his wrists, and the simple curve of the circlet wrapped around his head. His once muscle corded tail, the color of seagrass. Hidden behind his thinning braid at the nape of his neck was the deceitful shine of bright gold that formed the Serch Bythol knot. Beauty in its mournful intricacies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren had always found it cruel that once one loses their spouse or betrothed there was not a way to rid themselves of the bond they had lost and never given the opportunity to feel that fleeting connection with another. And is instead left with a broken, severed bond for the rest of their natural lives. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that was not the cruelest thing, he supposed. No, it was the way the knot never deteriorated or changed from the joyous day it was etched into their skin. It did not fade, or change into an onyx of red as other corrupted markings can. Instead, it stayed, a constant reminder of weakness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had never understood why grief looked so stunning in the midst of its destruction. But he had a feeling he was beginning to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Eren.” Father nodded, “What is your excuse for your lack of punctuality this time?” His voice, polarizing despite keeping a level tone when dealing with his rebellious heir. </span>
</p><p><span>The so-called ‘rebellious heir’ shrank in on himself, his heart thundering in anticipation, “I overslept?” </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>One of the king’s thick eyebrows twitched, Eren was surprised he was maintaining his cool in front of his guests, considering the number of times he hadn’t, “I expect you to rectify this behavior. And quickly.” </span></p><p>
  <span>Eren bowed his head again, thin golden chains pressing uncomfortable to his chest, “Yes, your majesty.” He managed to grit out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His Father grated on his nerves as much as he did the other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Good, at least they had that in common. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did not doubt that his Father cared for him, quite the contrary, in fact. But there had always been a glass wall between them. As though he was another piece in this massive game his Father thought he was playing, as he regarded him with the same apathy and paranoia he did with everyone else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was peculiar, it started with mutterings to himself after his mother had died, then the paranoia, and incessant ramblings of betrayal and death. No longer was he the king who cared for his kingdom and family, he was now a Being who regarded every one with thinly veiled madness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As though a monster from the shadows would barge in and destroy everything he had ever held dear to his heart. That might just happen, he found enemies where there were allies and turned family into toys and accessories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grief turned to madness and melded into his Father’s very being until there was nothing left except small glimpses of what he used to be.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>CRACK. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The blade of the training sword splintered, sending shards of wood flying across the training room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin heaved, breaths wracking through his sinewy frame. To the naked eye, he might have even appeared delicate. With his flushed cheeks and crystalline eyes, Levi wouldn’t be surprised if he were scolded for putting a damsel in distress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The training sword had been knocked from Armin’s grasp, effectively disarming him with one fell swoop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had taken him two minutes to disarm his appointed knight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite maintaining an exuberance of tactical knowledge, the boy lacked most of the physical strength becoming of a knight in his position. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oluo had lasted 3 minutes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But in all honesty, Levi was going easy on his knights. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Give him an unbalanced knife and an honest, dirty fight, there was no reason why either of his comrades would be alive after ten or so seconds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good job.” Levi commended, his breath steady and his tunic bereft of sweat or dirt. “You’re getting better.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin nodded, the cogs in his brain already scrutinizing their battle, replaying every move, as though it was a game of chess. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Erwin weren’t so different. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except maybe. Just maybe, Erwin could match Levi’s brawn amid battle. Narrowly. That is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no need for modesty when it came to his skill, Levi reasoned. He had bled for them, he had killed for them, he had sacrificed bits of himself for them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In that, he deserved to know where his strengths lie, and where they don’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi’s mind wondered, scouring his brain for an inkling of an indication as to whom that voice belonged. The breathy yet honeyed reverb echoed, even in the desolate stone of his soon to be palace.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A part of him knew he was being irrational, creepy even. He had known that his mind was not conveying an elaborate distortion of reality, for the evidence resided in the rips of his shirt and improbability of surviving being knocked out in the middle of the ocean. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin surveyed him quietly, probably at the behest of their Court Physician. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been a day since his inexplicable survival, more than enough time for people to stop treating him like glass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You seem distracted,” he stated, simply. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi shrugged, preferring the silence that pervaded their usual training sessions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was supposed to be Armin teaching the prince in formal combat, in which the prince had then scoffed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So.” Levi had leveled him with a glare, “You are to teach me to die?” </span>
</p><p><span>Armin only replied with a hollow smirk, “Honorably.” </span><span><br/>
</span> <span>What part of fighting for your life was </span><em><span>formal</span></em><span>? Where was the value in honor when a blade slits your throat or finds its arc slipping into your chest? </span></p><p>
  <span>Levi refused to bend and had snatched the title of mentor. No wonder the men assigned to him had dropped like flies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t going to instruct any of his young knights to die for honor. He was going to teach them how to survive for fucks sake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to talk about it?” Armin pressed, tentatively. Endearingly. “It must’ve been terrifying. You know…” He trailed off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi felt a pang of fondness slice at his mangled heart. It was a rarity to find a person with the brain of a mad scientist and the bleeding heart of a saint. A mixture that was odd, yet not disingenuous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Furlan had been ruled predominantly by his heart, as was Isabel. They were children. It was all they had been and would ever be. The wondrous sparkle in their eyes only diminished in death instead of life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanji and Erwin were opposites. They were all brains, analytics, research, and deceit. They lived their lives tactfully on edge. Considering their positions it only made sense for the two to develop an acute sense of caution. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In some ways, Erwin had turned himself off to the world. He shouldered the deaths of his family, innocent soldiers, and civilians, as did Levi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanji had sought solace in research and experimentation. Underneath mounds of papers and bodies, there was a person who was terrified of facing the world they claimed to love wholly and profoundly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi found comradery in their lacerated hearts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He saw them as clearly as they did him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were nothing like Isabel and Furlan. And never would be. But he was never in the market for replacements. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin, on the other hand, was a contradiction. An enigma. He still had that wondrous spark in his crystalline eyes and yet when their lives were in danger those clear eyes dimmed into something menacing. Beyond his years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Residing alongside demure quietude was iron, forged in the pits of hell. The ferocity that could only originate from a well-thought plan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This combined, made the young man endearing to Levi. In the sense that if he were to fall, Levi would mourn his loss for the rest of his days. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Levi shook his head, handing Armin a fresh towelette from his trouser pocket, crisp and neatly folded. As it should be. “But thank you for your concern, kid.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A slight pout molded his pale lips, but he said nothing of the nickname. “Thank you.” He said, taking the towelette to clean his face of the grime and dirt that had accumulated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A moment passes, and Levi still can’t shake that damned melody from his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you disarm me?” The knight breaks their silence, curiosity lacing his tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi thought back, “I caught you during your swing and knocked the sword away.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin replied with clueless eyes, his eyebrows scrunching in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your grip loosens, and your attention wanes when you swing, so it was easy to snake my way in.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I barely looked away for a second.” Armin reasoned, the cogs in his head working overtime. As they always did. “How would you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fast, kid. You might be able to think your way out of some brawny meathead or assassin. But when you’re sparring me, I won’t give you time to think.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin seemed satisfied, if not a little miffed by his answer. Contesting Levi’s low effort agility was going to be difficult, but the prince doubted that he couldn’t do it. It’s Armin Arlert for the goddess’ sake. He’d probably strike Levi with some unorthodox method next session. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young knight sighed, steeling himself for another defeat at the hands of a pauper turned prince. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It physically pains me to separate Armin and Mikasa.<br/>because I am of the opinion that all three of them are platonic soulmates so to split them up is blasphemy. Worse than a mermaid not having a soul tbh. But I knew it had to be done, to show how split Eren is between worlds. Because the people who make him who he is are separated into seemingly different worlds.<br/>Doesn't make it hurt any less.<br/>But I am going to enjoy the dynamic Armin and Levi provide. As well as Levi's views on the people who he had allowed to become close to him. </p><p> </p><p>If you have any questions leave them down in the comments, I'm always happy to answer them. </p><p>Thanks for making it to the end of this chapter, here's my reaction to AoT season 4 trailer (╥︣﹏᷅╥᷅) (mostly because I know that all my favorite characters, aka the remainder of the cast, is going to die) </p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>(And if you wanna check out my other Ereri/Riren AU, it's called Phoenix)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8: I Waited, As If the Sea Could Make My Decision For Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you regular_john for beta reading!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The future king of Trost was going </span>
  <em>
    <span>insane</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had gotten to the point of madness where he didn’t even entertain the thought of cursing out an innocent piece of parchment for notwithstanding the insurmountable amount of pressure he placed it under as he attempted a shoddy parody of calligraphy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He loathed wasting parchment. He understood the sheer amount of work that goes into producing such fine quality paper, only for a reckless pseudo-prince to tear inky holes into hours of work and refinement in mere seconds; was usually a pitiful sight in it of itself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>was even more pitiful as his mind incessantly wondered to a man that he had never fucking seen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Warmth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This mystery man’s voice kept assailing his brain. Small breathy huffs and muttered notes ingrained themselves into his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Levi sent Armin out to some pubs, to see if rumors of his “accident” had gotten out. Surely if that man were a commoner, there would be noise in the lower town. Yet the rumor mill was barren. Even if nobody outside of the castle were to never mention anything, which he found implausible considering staff members had families and friends to go home to. Most of them, at least. There would be someone jumping at the opportunity to say that he had saved the prince from certain death. Especially an underground doctor, or scavenger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All Armin had managed to wrangle from the common folk was that Levi was blessed with a miracle from the goddess. Which appeared to have bolstered Levi’s public opinion.No wonder Kenny had not asked him to set forth an official statement. It was better for the people to pass around their own tales; it made things much more interesting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe the man was a noble? No. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Those bastards wanted his head on a stake more than they craved for gold. None of their inbred offspring or servants would risk their neck for his. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if a nobleman did have a propensity for healing spells, he would be apprenticing for Hanji and the entire kingdom would be privy to decades worth of boasting about not only his magical prowess but also his vocal range. Thankfully, there was no nobleman that fit the bill. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Levi rubbed his temples, feeling the pressure in his brain intensify, there had to be some logical explanation for this mystery man. If only he had left more than a single drop of blood to stain the sand. It was as if this man had vanished, and turned into seafoam. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>BAM. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Startled out of his musings, Levi made a grab for his quill. It was sharp enough to puncture an artery. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately, he deflated. Just Erwin Smith, looking like a kicked puppy; not a poor assassin Levi could use as an outlet for his frustration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Speaking of dogs, he wondered what happened to that mangy mutt that started this whole mess in the first place. Hopefully, he was being taken care of. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of snapping his absurdly expensive quill in half, he gently placed it back into his glass inkwell. Conscious of the fact that his quill was probably plucked from a nearly extinct species of dragon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there a reason you’re here?” He asked, instead of stabbing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t pay a visit to a dear friend?” Erwin walked into the room, surprisingly only adorned in a white silk tunic and trousers, the right arm sleeve tied to the base of his shoulder.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Without sending a notice?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Could you have read it if I did?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you be able to write it after I break the only hand you have left?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Erwin smirked, “Low blow.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Touche.” Levi rolled his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> The older man had lost his arm in a skirmish at the border of his territory. Nothing that couldn’t be handled. Just run of the mill bandits that got too cocky to stay breathing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were skilled or Erwin and his men were slacking. In the end, it didn’t matter because the battle was won and Erwin’s arm wasn’t the only thing they lost. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Levi knew that Hanji beat themself up for not being there when Erwin needed them the most. As though they could’ve traversed weeks upon weeks of travel in less than an hour. Even with their, albeit, phenomenal alchemy prowess, there was no way they could’ve been there to save it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Being the dumbass that they were, they made it their mission to make Erwin the finest prosthesis in the kingdoms. Despite knowing jack shit about prosthetics. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spent the majority of their sparse free time deciphering the complexities of creating an artificial limb from scratch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Levi had suggested visiting the blacksmith but it seemed futile unless Hanji figured out a cohesive strategy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lemme venture a guess,” Levi crossed his legs and leaned back, slinging his arm around the back of his chair, “Armin rejected your request to spend the evening together in your guest chambers so you’ve come running to me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Erwin winced, “You could say that.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well?” Levi raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I brought wine.” Erwin held up the crystalline bottle of rufescent liquid he had been discreetly trying to hide behind his back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll send for Hanji. Tell ‘em you’re suffering from an illness of the heart.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Erwin shook his head, and made himself at home on one of Levi’s loveseats, “Good.” He said as he uncorked the bottle, and took a giant gulp. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eren meandered around his grotto, allocating his recent haul to their proper spaces. Despite how chaotic his relatively narrow, cylindrical grotto was, he made do with makeshift shelves that protruded from the walls as he lined them up with various trinkets he had acquired during his excursions around the ocean floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had discovered the secluded hollow after his mother died. It was barren, and terrifying in its own right. But, when he caught the sun at the right time, the small opening at the top of the grotto would pass large spears of sunlight into the space. It bounced off the rugged walls, and for a moment there was peace. For a moment, Eren could bask in the warmth the sun imparted and feel whole.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was not made of bright and lively coral, nor were rare gems and sparkling treasures found here. Small silvery fish skittered about, finding their own homes in places unbeknownst to the prince. It was like a small world separated from the saturated one of his own. There was so much beauty in its simplicity, one that was unlike the night sky. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As a youngling, he had found the sight otherworldly. Ethereal. It reminded him of what he had lost, and what he proved to gain. It allowed him to delude himself with fantasies of a new world; a world that he could create. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His grotto was a hub and the only place that truly felt like home. Like the ones, poets describe in those dreadfully pretentious scrolls and stone tablets.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a means of connection between the surface and the sea, akin to his wave beaten rock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eren placed a small metal bowl melded to a metal stem into an intricate looking box he had found a couple of years ago. He had figured it had once been an immaculate piece of art. But the once silver paint had been eroded and chipped over time, and it made the piece much more charming. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The runes running down the length of his arms and back ached as they felt as though a jellyfish had injected venom into his veins with its barbed stingers. Despite his body being devoid of any physical evidence of his excursion to the surface from the other night.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was another option to alleviate his discomfort. One he was seldom to use. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a well-known fact that the Yeager bloodline possessed a much deeper connection to the sea than most merfolk, allowing them to tap into the element at will. Once his father had calmed storms and evoked ravenous typhoons. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sea thrummed through his veins. His heartbeat, one with the tide. He could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>everything, as though the sea was a living, breathing entity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was terrifying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could simply replenish his reserves with a mere flick of the tail. He wouldn’t. Not for the lack of skill. But for the lack of nerve. That was rich coming from the man who is audacious enough to blatantly disregard his Father’s rules on multiple occasions. Despite knowing exactly what would happen if he were caught. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But there was just something invasive about deriving power from the vast expanses he called his home. With power came an exchange. To take from an element is to allow it to flow through your body and become one with it. Not just the artificial ley lines engraved into his skin. But the entirety of his being. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing in life could ever be attained without a price. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had tried, as one does when a whole kingdom is relying on you and had been adequate. It sent him into a panic. No longer was his body his own, instead, for a moment, he cohabitated with something-someone-else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And that was a price he was not willing to pay. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The only thing he had autonomy over was his mind, and he’d be damned if he yielded that over to the sea as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eren shook his head, attempting to dislodge the barnacles that attached themselves to his brain. He should be preparing for another excuse to give his father rather than letting his mind wander to precarious depths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his box shut, latching the delicate lock so that none of his treasures would escape their confines.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One day he will have to fulfill his duty. But what would that be? A duty towards himself and the world? Or an obligation to his people or his family? It seemed so inexplicably simple. And yet he was at a loss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow, it's the new year. Let me pretend that all of 2020's issues died today. Thank you. <br/>!!!!!!! Holy fuck, this fic hit over 100 kudos!!! Ummmm, thank you guys so much !!!!! I know it may not seem a lot on internet standards, but to me it is. So thank you, it means a lot. <br/>I read the original Little Mermaid fairytale and honestly, I kinda wanted to punch the prince in the face. Not even going to lie. He is the epitome of dumb bitch energy and I'm not here for it.</p>
<p>Kudos for making it to the end of the chapter, here have a Zeke face /'''\ (Ⓘ.Ⓘ) /'''\</p>
<p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9: Wine is Sunlight, Held Together by Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you regular_john for being phenomenal as always.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hanji let out an obnoxious cackle that echoed off the cold stone walls of Levi’s chambers, “You shoulda seen Levi’s face, it was beautiful.” They exclaimed, their glass of wine sloshing around as they gesture wildly. </p><p>The sun had long since dipped into the horizon, flooding Levi’s room with a soft red only dusk could usher in. On a regular evening, he might have walked out to enjoy the view on his balcony; but he figured now it would be an unwise decision allowing Hanji near heights. </p><p>Hanji was recounting their finding Levi on the beach, disorientated and a bit jarred by their presence. So much so, that they were able to tackle the prince with a hug, and have it reciprocated all within the same two seconds. A truly remarkable accomplishment, according to the mad scientist. </p><p>Levi scoffed, taking a swig of his own cup of wine. “That hardly counts for anything.”</p><p><span>Erwin shook his head, or he tried to, but his head just slowly lolled from side to side in a pathetic attempt at feigning an inkling of sobriety,</span> “No, no, no, Hanji has a point.” </p><p>“He looked like a lost, startled puppy.” Hanji’s infamous cackle was triggered, “I shoulda taken up art as a kid.” They sighed mournfully, taking another gulp of their goblet. </p><p>Levi took a sip of his glass. Erwin had given it such high praise, having said that it had been aged for years, that it was all the rage in the city. It was wine alright. Maybe Levi just lacked a refined enough palate to enjoy delectable delicacies, unlike the rest of the high class. He’d live. “I’m glad you didn’t then.”</p><p>Erwin hummed, his eyes fixating on the wax dripping lethargically from the candle that was hanging off of Levi’s wall. “Do you ever think of life?” he slurred. </p><p><em> Oh, goddess, of whom I have lost faith, rescue me from this conversation</em>, Levi prayed inwardly, deigning to take another sip. How his friends could get drunk off half a bottle of wine split between the three of them was beyond him. </p><p>They would not make it a day in the lower town. </p><p>“No.” Levi deadpanned. </p><p>“I do,” Erwin slurred, “How one decision can change our lives. Even the ones we make as mere children.” A forlorn expression passed Erwin’s face, his eyebrow scrunched up and his mouth contorted. </p><p>Hanji nodded enthusiastically, “Tell me more.”</p><p>“Don’t.” Levi muttered into his glass. </p><p>Off he goes into a spiel about butterflies, goddesses, and sea gods; all of which Levi tuned out. There was no need to ponder why life is the way it is when he could just live it. </p><p>Erwin was a man who lived in the past, whether he’d admit it or not, he poured over the past strategies of his enemies as well as his own. He anguished and bemoaned his perceived misgivings as a child, ones that got others and his own father killed. He blamed himself for things he could not control. He thought his folly lied within his nonexistent thoughtlessness, but it truly lied in his inability to move on and live for himself; even if it was atop of the pile of bodies he had amassed. </p><p>But the full blame did not lie with him. Sometimes he forgets that people are not pieces of chess on a chessboard, he forgets that he cannot control people the way that he can pawns and bishops. Sometimes there is nothing he could have done to save them, albeit his father or his fellow soldiers. </p><p>Levi just hoped that it wouldn’t get him killed one day. </p><p> </p><p>Maybe he was being a bit too… What was the word? Obsessive?</p><p>Truly, it did not matter what his brain was telling him, not right now. All he desired to do was find that sunken statue. </p><p>It was rare for him to procure moments such as these, as he had never truly <em>hunted </em>for treasure, he simply came across them whilst exploring sunken ships and various other darkened caves. Some of which proved to be useless with a wayward Kraken or leviathan nestled in their little abode. </p><p>Technically, it was his responsibility to rid the domain of these creatures, and he did when it was appropriate. But killing someone, even a deadly creature, in their own home seemed too cruel for Eren to even consider the possibility. </p><p>He had been sneaking his way out of the palace for the last couple of days, attempting to triangulate the possible areas the statue could have sunk. But the tide had different plans for him, ones that involved swimming for hours on end and finding nothing. Or he was just no good at maths... or both. </p><p>He had narrowly avoided Shadis’ grasp when he had snuck out, the man had been tailing him for quite some time; the old crone had a renewed interest in scrutinizing Eren’s every move. </p><p>Now, he had a bag, the inside held a coil of silken rope made by the finest Pinna Nobilis in the kingdom. It had been infused with mana, causing some of the woven tendrils to yield to a striking gold. </p><p>His tail brushed against the coarse, grainy sand, some specks threatening to burrow their way between his scales. Blue and scattered coral encompassed his vision as he searched for his treasure. Richly colored and prismatic fish flit about in groups, all of various shapes and sizes, crabs crawled and nestled themselves into the sand when they saw Eren nearing. </p><p>Eren <em>yearned </em>to punch Keith Shadis square in the nose one day. Shadis was his father’s right-hand man and only confidant. Every word he uttered was poisonous, every flick of his tail was that of a serpent’s. </p><p>He had been in love with the Queen and he had loved her since they were younglings. That, Eren had no doubt. But it was not the type of love that builds kingdoms, it was not the type to fill one’s heart with never-ending warmth and comfort. No. His love was the type to build cages, it was the type to fill one’s heart with the most potent of toxins. There was a reason that his mother did not choose him, and it was not for the reasons he deigned to believe.  </p><p>His Father was far too dense to pick up on his closest friend’s attempt to sway his betrothed, and to say anything of Carla Yeager teetered on the edge of treason these days.</p><p>From what Eren had gathered, Shadis had loathed the surface before Carla’s death and had pushed Grisha for more restrictive legislation, all of which Grisha had refused. Until she died. </p><p>Eren supposed prejudice was a delectable poison. </p><p>It was far too easy to indulge in a sip, and then another, and another. It made complicated things simple, it ate away at minds until there was nothing left except a husk. Mentalities become skewed, rights become wrongs, and vise versa. Enemies become allies and loved ones become roaming betrayals. </p><p>Eren himself had taken that sip, had closed himself off to the world he had loved. He bought Shadis’ words, he had allowed himself to be cut off and walled in. He had become drunk on it. </p><p>Until one day he braved the tips of the waves, fully prepared to wreak havoc upon the world that had done him irrevocable damage. And what he had found was marvelous, stunning even. It was like filling his lungs with salt water for the first time. </p><p>The sky had not grown brilliant blossoms of vermillion and gold, nor had the sky been waves of blue dappled with silvery clouds and a striking sun. No, it had been a simple cloudless night, the moon nowhere in sight. Just a void dusted with countless gems. It had been so unfairly mundane, yet the night sky had brought a sense of restfulness to his bustling heart, a cease to his storm. </p><p>Just the scene alone had been his antidote. </p><p>If only Mikasa and his Father could allow themselves to see it, to appreciate the very things that they have forsaken.</p><p>Eren shook his head and tightened his grip on his bag. There was no chance for them to see the world as he did, but he hoped nonetheless. </p><p>He set his gaze forward. He had a treasure to hunt, and he’d be damned if he didn’t find it. </p><p>An uncomfortable feeling settled on the back of his neck, his gills twitched in apprehension. Oddly, it was as though eyes were peering at him from afar, but a simple surveillance of his surroundings proved otherwise. </p><p>He shook it off, it was probably nothing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We're getting to the good parts now.<br/>Quote: "Wine is sunlight, held together by water" by Galileo<br/>A drunk Hanji is terrifying and fun to write ngl. </p><p>Thanks for making it to the end of the chapter, here have a Connie face (ﾟヘﾟ)？</p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>Check out my other Ereri/Riren fic Phoenix<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10: Pour, Unfortunate Souls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you regular_john for beta reading!!!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eren groaned, a silken rope digging into his palms as he attempted to drag a marble statue across the ocean floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After hours upon hours of searching, he found his treasure. His heart picked up speed, pounding insistently in elation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had found the statue in tatters. The base had been completely crumpled to bits, it was as though the sunset beast did not only try to devour the living prince but the artificial one as well. Eren shuddered, the thing was truly insatiable.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s once moonlit luster had turned dark grey, spindly fractures ran down the stone prince’s eye down to his chiseled jaw. Yet the pose remained grandiose, in the manner of a fallen King. Stubbornly beautiful in his ruin while his other half was entombed in layers of sand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That of which had become the bane of Eren’s existence. He could not make it less than two meters before grains of sand had piled up and subsequently lodged the statue in place before he dug it out and repeated the process another thousand times. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Power prickled through his knotwork of tattoos, as he did everything he could to absolve from raging against the omnipotent powers of</span>
  <em>
    <span> sand</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mana was akin to blood. It was a life force, the essence of all living creatures. His tattoos were like veins, they served to disperse mana throughout his entire being, both unapologetically binding and protecting him from harm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The process was so excruciating Eren was convinced that he was going to die. It was not because a traditional runesmith would prick him with a needle repeatedly and meticulously. No, it was the ink. It tugged at his soul and reshaped it into something new. Not better or worse. Just new. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shackles that bestowed upon the bearer power were still shackles nonetheless.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They no longer possessed the sting nor the pain that they used, his soul had acclimated to the changes thrust upon it with the grace and poise of royalty. He could not imagine </span>
  <em>
    <span>being </span>
  </em>
  <span>without them, as the artificial ley lines had come to engrain themselves into his soul. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had been lucky, or so his Father said, for some souls were not malleable enough to be reshaped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mikasa would never admit this, not even to her own brother, but he knew her nature. Her soul was made with that of hardened stone, not unlike the statue he had in tow. Rigid, defined, and inflexible. She did not ebb and flow with the tide, she did not change as time passed or longed for it in the slightest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The process would have killed her, and she knew it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren ceased his pulling to unearth another path for the statue, he feared it would break apart if he were to treat it too harshly. He brushed his tail against smooth stone, dusting wayward grains from the litany of spindly cracks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A shiver ran down his spine, and his pupils narrowed to a point. Someone was watching. He scanned his periphery. Nothing except groups of prismatic fish flitting about in their own little worlds.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Stubbornly, he plowed through, blasted sand be damned for all he cared. If this creature would make itself known he’d simply kill it. No need to waste ample time on a prickle. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Keep staring</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought and continued his work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The water had grown dark and cold in the depths, bestial creatures with teeth the shape of needles and hunger for flesh and scale only dwell here. A hazy grey and the blackened contours of ragged rock were the only things that could be seen for miles on end.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gnarled appendages writhe in the confines of jagged walls, serpentine, and coated in mucus as they tangled together in lively knots. Wails echoed through empty, cavernous chambers, delectable to the only person who could hear their perilous moaning. For they were prizes acquired from a job well done.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The figure loomed over a large pearl, pale gray eyes illuminated by the image of a particular prince dragging a ghastly piece of mangled junk with merely a rope and pure strength. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had forgotten the hopeless nature of merfolk. Too naive, too stubborn, too old to be anything but prey. For creatures who deigned to rule the sea, they were pitifully greedy.  Yet they could not see their resemblance to the monstrous beings they looked down upon from their golden thrones. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beings like himself, sadly, the only thing close to bestial about him was his parentage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stared at his beloved pearl, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful </span>
  </em>
  <span>prince afflicted with the same naivety and stubbornness that characterized his species. A curse. Truly. Oh, how much pity he would feel if he could muster the energy or the care. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The prince would make for an excellent trophy</span>
  </em>
  <span>, He thought, his mouth slowly widened as he watched the scene in front of him, revealing three rows of sharpened teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yes,  </span>
  </em>
  <span>Zeke Yeager fixated on the prince, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes he would indeed.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Who's the poor, unfortunate soul? Eren or Zeke? <br/>This shit is getting heavy, drama in the next chapter, hope you're ready for some scolding hot earl gray. </p><p>Kudos for making it to the end of the chapter, here, have a Levi face 눈‸눈 </p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!<br/>All you're guys' comments and Kudos have been a real motivation, thank you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11: Jeux D’eau</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you Regular_John for beta reading!!!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Levi rarely ever dawdled, even in the heart of Trost; where luxuries became burdens and corruption became a pastime for the bored and perilous. </p><p>There was simply too much to do in so little time. First and foremost, there was a bit of an insurrection at a village near the edge of their borders. Bandits have been ransacking their meager harvests for months on end. They had petitioned for an audience with the king, only for their efforts to be proven fruitless. For the king did not give a rats ass about their minuscule town. </p><p>Levi had looked into their requests and decided it was high time to quell their anger, lest they turn to much more desperate means for aid. </p><p>Tomorrow, at dawn, he would set off with a group of knights to eradicate whoever had been terrorizing his people. Armin had insisted on going, as well as <em> Sir </em>Oluo as he had insisted Levi call him, quite incessantly. </p><p>Levi moved to pack his bags as orderly and as compact as he possibly could. He did not anticipate being gone for long, but he also did not anticipate ever becoming prince.</p><p>He did his rounds, making sure his chainmail was sufficiently polished, his weapons sharpened, and his cloak devoid of dust. If he were to die, it would not be derived from his own negligence.  </p><p>Then, of course, there was yet another plot unearthed involving Levi’s head on a pike and Kenny’s exile. Ambitious, but annoying. </p><p>Kenny had let it fester, as he did every gaping wound. Now Levi had to deal with the maggots and the stench that spread from it. </p><p>He had never been a beloved king, nor the people’s or the nobles’ first choice to bear the weight of the crown. The only thing keeping him breathing was his self-appointed guard, born of loyalty only derived from the most deranged of families. And Levi. </p><p>For he was a shield, another pawn in an elaborate ruse built for the king’s entertainment. If the noblemen were to kill Kenny, forsake his birthright, there would be another Ackerman left to take his place.  </p><p>Blood was worth its weight in gold if you had the right kind. </p><p>Armin had been wrought with worry, chewing on his nails until they were a bloody pulp, his wide crystalline eyes panicked and calculating. However, Levi refused to falter, it’d only get them killed quicker. </p><p>He latched his finely crafted bag shut, running his hand across freshly polished leather and the slight raise of thickened stitches beneath his scarred fingertips. </p><p>Assassination has never been about the act. It was the wait; the anticipation. So that is exactly what they would do. </p><p>Wait. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Agh,” A sharp sting jabbed Eren’s ribcage, right underneath a cluster of scales. “You said you would take it easy today.” He groaned, readying his trident once more. </p><p>“I am.” Mikasa deadpanned, aiming another powerful thrust towards his midriff. </p><p>He dodged, trying to land a hit of his own, “I’d beg to differ.” </p><p>The training area was simply another room made of stained glass and coral pillars, the sun streamed through the glass, splaying bands of color onto the sand and his sister. Their weapons glowed in the kaleidoscopic hue, their bodies moved in tandem, and their long tails corded with muscle imbued with the elegance only that of a trained warrior may hope to one day possess. </p><p>They had long since grown past using training dulled training weapons to best the other; though these sessions usually ended with Mikasa as the victor. And this time was no different. </p><p>They had been going back and forth for hours, the crowd they had accumulated had thinned, leaving a few enamored stragglers behind. </p><p>He did not feel the slightest bit of fatigue, but his mind wandered to his grotto. Oh, how he longed to see his treasure once more.<br/>“Then beg.” She pulled back, “It does not change the truth.”<br/>A flurry of bubbles obscured his vision, “Yes, of course, sister.” He swiped at open water frantically, as though his trident would hit its mark.</p><p>“Focus.” She commanded from behind him, delivering another jab to the small of his back. </p><p>Eren ground down on his teeth, “I am.” He swung again.  </p><p>“No,” She slashed his trident from his grasp, narrowly missing his hand in the process. It floats away pathetically, and Eren holds his hands up in surrender. “You aren’t.” She pressed the tip of her sword against his neck, dangerously close to his heaving gills. </p><p>“You’re... “ His chest rose up and down rapidly, “Insufferable”<br/>Mikasa cocked her head to the side, not a semblance of anger or annoyance crossed her features, “Have you not been listening?” she retracted her thin sword, and allowed her brother to catch his breath. </p><p>“Yes.” Eren rolled his eyes, and swam to retrieve his trident, he slid it back into his tattoo, and it dissolved from his grasp with ease. “Let’s call it a day, shall we?” </p><p>Mikasa shook her head, “Fine.” </p><p>As she moved to swim beside him, Eren swiftly summoned his trident and pointed the middle prong right at her pulse, the gold gleamed maliciously in the prismatic sun, “I win?” </p><p>Much too familiar with Eren’s childish ploys, she doesn’t even so much as flinch, “No.”  </p><p>He shrugged, and his trident dissolved once more, “It was worth a try.”<br/>“You cannot win a battle that has already been won.” Mikasa assumed her position right beside him, their shoulders bumping together. Eren nudged her playfully and she did the same. They said their goodbyes to the few straggling guards, offering polite nods and shallow bows. </p><p>They swam down the hallway, coral intricately woven pillars, and knotted ceilings, the sun transformed patches of bright lively coral into beams of gold. </p><p>Eren bit his lip nervously, a familiar, nervous, ache that arose in his chest. He longed to see his newly acquired statue, maybe if he stared at it hard enough he could discern how it was made on the surface. The initial engravings on the base had been lost to the ravenous tides and the sunset beast. Another morsel of information lost to him, yet so achingly close, it would make a lesser man mad. </p><p>He attempted to distance himself from thinking of the man the statue depicted. Yet every time he so much as glimpsed at the stone his mind wandered closer to the surface than he had ever been. Absurdities lingered in the back of his head, notions that he’d never entertain. Not for himself, lest he abandons his people in a desperate heap of selfishness and lunacy. </p><p>It was one thing to have a Yeager go mad for love, it was another thing to have the second go mad for the promise of it. On the surface no less. </p><p>Gods, how presumptuous must he be to even entertain the <em> promise </em>of love from a man he had never spoken to? Maybe he had already delved into lunacy. </p><p>Hence the reason he agreed to spar with his sister. He sought respite and had acquired a litany of bruises instead. </p><p>“EREN?” Mikasa snapped, “I have been calling your name for eons.” </p><p>He shook his head, “My apologies, go on.” </p><p>“Hm.” Mikasa quirked an eyebrow, “Father has been nagging me about your marriage prospects.”<br/>“Not this nonsense again,” Eren groaned. “Tell him he can stick those prospects up his-”</p><p>“Eren.” She cut in sternly, “Please refrain from addressing the king in such a manner.” </p><p>“Please,” He waved the notion off, “he’s been trying to peddle me off for decades. No use in him trying now.” </p><p>“Eren, this-” She paused, “This is different.”</p><p>Eren smirked, “How so? Did Shadis recommend this one?” </p><p>It had been a recurring joke between the two that Shadis schemed to marry them off to keep them out of his thinning hair. “If so, I’ll teach the bastard a thing or two about court etiquette.” He outwardly seethed, half-jokingly. Of course. Of course. </p><p>“No, Eren,” She cut in harshly, “Lord Tybur has made an offer your-our father cannot refuse.”  </p><p>“He’s the king, he can do whatever he pleases,” He scoffed, “Don’t let him fool you with that bullshit.” </p><p>“<em>Eren,</em>” Mikasa intoned, her voice steely and cold.<br/>“Oh by the love of the Gods, you can’t be taking this seriously,” Eren rolled his eyes, then hesitated, something in her tone made him weary. Pressure rising in his gut. “Are you?” </p><p>“Lord Tybur vowed to do everything he could to protect you, and a sizable dowry to do with as we will. He is handsome, he is dignified, and his reputation is devoid of any wrongdoing,” She defended. </p><p>“Since when have we been in dire need of <em> funds </em>?” Eren sped up, causing Mikasa to borderline chase him.</p><p>“Suffice to say, he is perfectly respectable.” </p><p>“I will hear nothing of this.”</p><p>“Surely that is more than anyone else has offered.” She argued, almost frantically.  </p><p>As they were growing up, the two siblings mocked all of their potential suitors and suitresses in earnest. They knew love did not flow as freely as their father would have liked them to believe. She had been one of his only allies in this battle, the only one who understood, and she had caved. </p><p>“He is kind, compassionate, and eligible. He will make a good husband and an even better consort.” She continued, paying no mind to the whirlpool of emotions swirling across her brother’s face. </p><p>Maybe it was naive, but he had always maintained the notion that his love was free to give to whomever he pleased. It was a silly little dream, one that imbued warmth inside of his chest wondering whom his beloved could be. Would he be a handsome noble with a heart of gold, one reflecting the mark that would ultimately make itself home on his nape? Would she be a scholar, devout to her people as much as he should be? </p><p>As he thought, a silly little daydream he grasped closely to his heart, as though his father would claw it out of his hands and <em> squeeze </em>. </p><p>As he grew older, and decades sped by, he realized there were shackles placed upon everything. His love especially so. Propriety was weighed over his happiness. There was a struggle to defend his relationship with Jean, let alone entertain a romantic one. </p><p>It had all been woefully unfair, but he thought he at least had time to find love in the right place to appease his Father and his kingdom. Maybe even himself. Apparently not. </p><p>Did his happiness truly mean so little? Did he mean so little? </p><p>“And what exactly has he offered that has swayed you, <em> oh dear sister </em>?” He raised his voice, onlookers directed their stares towards the siblings, he spat out the last part as though it was poison.   </p><p>“Compassion, protection, <em> care </em>,” Her voice grew colder, baring her fangs, features uncharacteristically flushed, “It may not be love, but it is the best thing you have,” She hissed. </p><p>Eren paused, stunned. He had never seen her so adamant before. </p><p>“You are to be bound by the next solstice.” Mikasa lowered her voice, reverting to her familiar, comforting monotone. Resolute to her brother’s imprisonment. </p><p>“<em>What </em>?” His heart ceased beating. The next solstice would take place in a mere two months, to be bound by a stranger no less. </p><p>He should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy. But his head had been too occupied with stars and statues to see it. </p><p>“I tried to convince him otherwise but-” </p><p>“N-no. Please.” He was trembling, “Let me-” </p><p>“There is a scroll with the names of potential matches in your chambers. If you can find a suitable partner before, father said he would reconsider Lord Tybur’s proposition.” Mikasa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “I am sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” <em> I am sorry I cannot help, </em> Anguish laced her voice, as though she was the one losing her chance at true, unadulterated, romantic love. </p><p>Eren hung his head, his shoulders trembling although slightly, they wracked his frame. </p><p>He wanted nothing more than to lash out at his sister. To snap at her for her sympathy, for her betrayal, for not telling him sooner, for not fighting a battle she could have never won for him. He wanted to summon his trident from the depths of his soul and cleave Tybur in two for making such a debasing offer without even consulting him. </p><p>Eren had never feared for his future as much as he did that moment. Betrayal churned in his gut, although misguided, felt righteous. </p><p>Instead, he roughly swatted away her hand, in no mood to be placated. “I- I need to go.”<br/>He sped away before she could open her mouth, the last he saw of her, her delicate features were scrunched in grief. </p><p>He could barely stomach to look at her. </p><p>He did not care for caution as he barrelled his way to his sanctuary, shoving onlookers aside, including Shadis, that sniveling tail licker could choke for all he cared.</p><p>How could he have been so foolish? To trust the people he held closest to his heart.  </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The Gods did not bless Keith Shadis with the virtue of patience. Nor did he need it. His eye for others is what truly landed him the position as the king’s advisor. There was no need to dwell in frivolities such as patience and humility. </p><p>As of late his royal highness had developed a strange disposition. He had been floating around the castle, his head stuck in a conch shell for all who could see. Embarrassing. Truly. Keith had seen that look once before on a woman adorning the same lovely features. And it had only brought her ruin. </p><p>The Yeager boy was in love. </p><p>His adoptive sister must’ve figured the same, and reported to their father immediately. The king has been less than ecstatic, for he had already deemed a suitor worthy of his son’s nape. He had a reasonably leveled head. </p><p>The advisor loathed seeing such discord between the royal family, knowing full well that if Carla were still with them she would have conducted everything in an orderly fashion. And the siblings would already have been bonded with the most distinguished of families. </p><p>But their father was lacking. Thankfully enough, Shadis was there to remedy such misgivings. </p><p>He had noted Eren’s disposition and resolved himself to following the boy in whatever excursions he had been off to whilst he disregarded his duties. Most likely ensnaring that poor Kirstein boy with his bewitching voice. </p><p>The way the lowly soldier gazed upon his highness was by no means a friendly one. </p><p>One day Keith followed Eren, and the boy disappeared behind a hole hidden beneath a boulder, as he left, with a silken bag and determination written all over his mother’s features.</p><p>Once he was out of sight, the royal advisor tried ardently to dislodge the blasted boulder. It took him nearly two hours, </p><p>After what felt like an eternity, he squeezed his way through the tight hole he had created, scales scraping against jagged rocks, he had found something that surpassed the degradation of seducing a soldier. No. It was one of depravity and perversion. A cave filled with trash from the surface. A hoard befitting of a dragon’s cursed nest. </p><p>Their world had once been rife with such filth, coveted even.</p><p>Except it was worse. Eren’s chambers had always been barren, and devoid of any true attachments, save for his ceremonial jewels and the like. But this cave? It was <em> homely.  </em></p><p>Anger seared through his veins as he spotted the centerpiece. A broken, stone man, poised and valiant. </p><p>How dare he.</p><p>How dare he desecrate his mother’s grave by fraternizing and cherishing the very world that had ripped her from Keith’s grasp. How dare he have no respect for the King’s protection. For his love.</p><p>After everything Eren had witnessed, he still behaved this way? As a youngling, Eren had deluded himself with sunsets and seagulls, it seemed that he never truly curbed his desire to hurt the ones who did everything to protect him. </p><p>Especially Carla. </p><p>She’d still be queen if not for her son’s wretched “curiosities”. </p><p>Frantically, he rummaged through his things, indignation burned in his gut as he found forks, spoons, and broken teacups. All mundane to surface dwellers, but a most treasonous find here. </p><p>He did what any loyal citizen would do; he escaped to report back to the king.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don't kill the messenger Eren. Poor Mikasa, poor Armin. They're too pure for this and any other world. </p><p>Kudos for making it to the end of the chapter, here have a Mikasa face (ㅍ＿ㅍ )</p><p>If anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!<br/>All you're guys' comments and Kudos have been a real motivation, thank you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12: L’appel du Vide</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eren gets visitors. </p><p>Thank you Regular_John for beta reading!!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Betrayal stung more than any wound ever could. Eren stared at the scroll, a list of suitors and suitresses waiting at his beck and call to be bound to him. To a prince.</p><p>He had burst into his chambers, grabbed Mikasa’s cursed scroll, and left. He couldn’t bear the thought of staying in the palace a moment longer. He needed time to <em>think</em>; to sort out whatever was running through his mind. </p><p>Mikasa’s motives were devoid of all sense and reason. Eren had known her since they were children, and he had never seen her act so vehemently on a suitor’s behalf. He loved her dearly, she was the only family he had left and vice versa. He had expected this from their Father, not her. Anyone but her. </p><p>It felt as though she scooped out his innards and injected lead into his heart, for it sat heavily on his chest as he heaved in and out.  </p><p>Shame ran its course through his veins, his cheeks flushed in indignation, was this all he would ever be? A golden token to be spent? </p><p>Fine grains of sand stuck to his skin and burrowed their way underneath his scales as he laid in his grotto, staring at a list of names. The base of his newly acquired statue stood right next to him, proudly fractured and crowned in wayward rays of sun. The sun had long since reached its optimal peak, still, vestiges of sunlight sought their way underneath the waves. His trinkets laid skewed in their places, as though someone had come in and rummaged through his things. </p><p>He waved off the thought, he had more pressing issues. Like eternal damnation. </p><p>Mournfully, he turned his gaze to the statue, then back to the list, then back to the statue. He splayed his arms out and stretched his tail. Bereft of tight braids and diaphanous jewels, tresses of sea silken hair haloed his head, billowing in the slight rhythm of the sea. The scroll and statue laid there, forgotten as he looked up.</p><p>The surface had never looked so far away. </p><p>He had longed for many things. Love, freedom, a happiness only described in the most tragic of tales, his Father’s included. </p><p>It was selfish, but he wanted someone to mourn, to shatter the morsels of his crystalline heart and turn it to sand. He wanted someone to love fully and devoutly for as long as they would allow it. He wanted the everlasting pain that came once love had destroyed his crystalline heart because it was proof that he <em>cared.  </em></p><p>For pain had always been proof of love more than tenderness ever was. </p><p>He had yearned for the freedom his subjects possessed for so long. Irrational as it was, they did not have duties other than putting food onto their children’s platters. They lived simple lives, ones that had the propensity to be filled with love and care. Ones that did not dawdle with petty drama and empty bonding ceremonies. What they lacked in opulence, they made up for in compassion tenfold. </p><p>It was naive to believe his people were swimming in vats of care and love, considering they had their own problems, ones that he had been pushing his father to solve. Although, if Eren was to learn anything of ruling, he’d know that a kingdom’s problems were like a hydra. Solve one, another five spawn. </p><p>Famine, unemployment, and death due to parasites were much too common, especially among younglings, for Eren to ever feel comfortable saying he envied his subjects. Everyone had their own sets of shackles, and he, just like everyone else, vied to pry them off. But never had the guile or the resources to actually do so. </p><p>Lord Tybur was <em>perfectly respectable</em>, as Mikasa so generously added. Thinking back on it, he remembered the merman. Blond, charismatic, and handsome. Eren had met him at one of his many empty performances. That of which the Lord appraised him with hungry eyes and frantic words cloaked in artificial gaiety.</p><p>Maybe she was right. Maybe he would make a good consort. He was <em>perfectly respectable</em>, his reputation was adequate. He’d care… no “care” was too strong a word. He’d tend to Eren’s needs, he’d treat him well enough.</p><p>The nape of his neck pickled at the thought of Lord Tybur’s mark embedding itself there. </p><p>Eren’s breath hitched, what was the difference? Not a single soul respected him enough to court him, for all he was was a decorative centerpiece. Not unlike his statue. They put their names down on a damned waiting <em>list</em>. They asked his Father. They asked Mikasa. But never to him directly, save to catch a glimpse of their potential prize. </p><p>Anyone on that list is just as abhorrent of a choice, and Mikasa knew it. </p><p>She knew it, yet still defended his bonding. She was his only ally in this mess of a world, and she defended their Father and Tybur’s decision. For what? When did she become his adversary? When did he become hers? Cognitively, he knew she was only doing her best to ensure his happiness. But when did condemning him to a loveless betrothal ensure his happiness? </p><p>He felt like a spoiled brat. Was it not enough to have his people at his beck and call? A sister who cared for him? A throne? Subjects and jewels? Was it ever going to be enough when he couldn’t be? </p><p>Did he have the right to want for love when he had everything else? </p><p>He stared up, bicolored eyes fixated on his small window to the surface. The sand caressed his bare skin as he burrowed deeper into the grainy blanket, much like a crab. </p><p>Maybe if he buried himself deep enough, he could rid himself of all of these questions.</p><p>His eyes fluttered closed, his chest finally ceased heaving as the weight of the world crashed down upon it, and he allowed himself to dream. Dream of a world bereft of thrones, jewels, and responsibility. Where he could bask in the warmth of the sun and enjoy the serenity of the night sky. Where he could fall in love with a certain peculiar but kind prince. Fantastical as it was impossible; he dreamed. </p><p>Oh, how he wished to be a part of their world. </p><p>A muffled scraping startled the prince from his reverie, “There-there it is.” </p><p>The hidden entrance to his grotto slowly rolled open, Eren startled awake from his daydreams, unearthing himself from the sand, he summoned his trident. </p><p>His heart trembled in anticipation, but his hand remained steady. </p><p>The boulder, once out of the way, revealed the three individuals that had invoked his ire. His Father, sister, and <em> Shadis</em>. Of all people. </p><p>“See- See Grisha. I told you he’d be here.” Shadis trembled as Eren directed the point of his trident to him. </p><p>Eren’s mind wandered back to his unkempt collection. Of course, <em> he </em>had been the one to unearth Eren’s grotto. Who else would have rummaged through his things so brazenly? What Shadis lacked in patience, he made up for in stupidity. </p><p>Upon seeing Grisha’s murky eyes narrow menacingly, Eren’s full attention turned to his Father, “I consider myself a reasonable merman.”  Grisha’s voice boomed, echoing off the grotto’s walls. “And I have set certain rules to protect you and Mikasa.”  </p><p>Eren shook his head, and sneered, “You only set those ‘rules’ because you’re a coward.” </p><p>Mikasa tried to catch his eyes, but he could not spare a glance, knowing her expression would be the one to break him. </p><p>He could deal with Shadis’ strange, prideful cowering, and his Father’s wrath. What he could not stomach was his sister’s heartbreak.</p><p>Grisha’s face contorted, an ugly display of grief and anger taking over his features, he had always been challenged by Eren. But not to this extent. “How. Dare. You.” His eyes trailed over Eren’s precious collection, “Do you not understand what those <em>monsters </em>did to your mother? They are fish-eating savages.” Grisha tried to reason.</p><p>Shadis nodded along, and Mikasa remained still.<br/>Eren’s eyes widened slightly, <em>oh, </em>he thought, <em>we’re playing the self-righteous game now, are we?</em></p><p>He laughed maybe a bit too manically as Shadis flinched and Mikasa’s eyes bored into his frame even more intensely, “How dare I? <em> How dare you </em>.” </p><p>His Father paused, “How dare you accept an offer of marriage for me. How dare you come in here and attempt to use my mother’s name for your own twisted game. You have no right telling <em> me </em>who the savages are when <em>you</em> are willing to sell your own son off.” Eren’s voice brimmed with anger, sharp as the tip of his trident. </p><p>Eren had had enough of his father’s false sense of justice. As though hate would lead them to prosperity when the last century had proved them otherwise. </p><p>“Do not compare me to those spear-wielding savages.” Grisha grit out, his grip tightened around the base of his trident, “They stripped your mother of her parts, and yet you celebrate them.” He gestured to Eren’s collection. “Is <em> this </em>what are you planning to do to my kingdom?” </p><p>A tense silence filled the room, Mikasa kept her mouth tightly shut, and Grisha’s eyes bored into his son’s. Daring him to utter the wrong answer. </p><p>And that he did.  </p><p>“Yes.” He said, clearly and proudly. His posture straightened and his eyes did not leave his father’s. Feigning confidence had never been so easy. “I will.”</p><p>“THEN MY KINGDOM WILL NEVER BE YOURS.” Grisha had finally caved in to his rage, his fist trembled and raw power whirled around him. Crackling through the water in turbulent waves. “NOT WHILE I STILL LIVE.”</p><p>Eren grit his teeth, he had been yelled at by his father before. But he had never met his rage knowing the consequences would be dire. </p><p>Now, it didn’t matter. Nothing did. </p><p>If he were to be wed to a man he didn’t know, if he were to have his throne snatched from his grasp, nothing would matter. Not anymore. Nothing had been his to begin with.  </p><p>“Then live for another millennium you old, senile, crone of a king.” Eren hissed, meeting him at full force, his rage trembling the grotto’s walls. “Watch as your country lay in ruin due to your selfishness.” He dared to point his trident at his father’s chest. “And avert your gaze as I rebuild.” </p><p>“YOU do not know the first thing about being king.” His Father bellowed, the muscles on his neck protruded in grotesque strings as he stared at the tip of his son’s trident. </p><p>“And YOU do not know the first thing about being a good merman.” Eren inched his trident closer to his father’s neck, his grip trembling as his heart thumped loudly through his chest. “So I doubt you’ll fight me like one.” He hissed. </p><p>And with that, chaos broke loose as his father whipped out his trident and it clanged against Eren’s with so much force that Eren nearly lost his grip. </p><p>Mikasa flinched, having moved for the first time since she broke into his grotto. Shadis, on the other hand, had taken to cowering behind a stack of oddly shaped bowls, that were much deeper than they needed to be. </p><p>Eren swung back at full force, he had not sparred with his father for a bit, but this wasn’t just a mere sparring match. With every clang of their weapons and slash of their tridents that sentiment became more apparent. </p><p>Grisha was aiming to incapacitate. It’d be better if it were to kill, in all honesty. Then Eren wouldn’t feel this familiar sense of shame bubbling over his gut when this was over. </p><p>“Your mother would not have wanted this,” Grisha said, grunting as he took another one of his son’s blows. </p><p>His father must’ve been rusty.  </p><p>It always circled back to her. Always her.</p><p>Eren rolled his eyes and dodged another one of Grisha’s attacks, narrowly missing the prongs skewering his brains, “You pine over a dead woman, so you condemn her killer to a loveless life. Is that it?” Eren laughed as his father stabbed into his obliques, causing a stream of blood to gush out. He barely felt the pain. “You are much more devious than I gave you credit for.” </p><p>Grisha bellowed in rage, swiping at Eren’s collection as well as his head, “You know nothing of what you speak.” </p><p>Eren dodged, hearing the resounding shatter of collection, he screamed and attacked with much more recklessness. Thrusting at his father’s hand with the intent to sever it. Rico would be able to reattach it. </p><p>Grisha gave him a knowing smile, mirthless and cold, he had found his son’s weakness.</p><p>Eren noticed quickly, noting that he aimed his attacks widely enough to destroy as much as he could with every arc and thrust.</p><p>The prince was blinded by rage and an overwhelming sense of heartache; he lost all rational thought and attacked his father with wild abandon. </p><p>He was sloppy. He created more openings than he should have and by the time their duel was over Eren was covered in slashes and bruises. The particles of his former collection clouded his vision and his gills stuttered, heaving the polluted water. </p><p>Grisha was not unscathed, as he had been distracted with destroying Eren’s collection that he allowed more harm to come to himself than originally intended; a sick pride welled up in Eren’s chest as he saw the damage he had done to his father’s face as a thin stream of blood dissipated into the water. </p><p>The fight was over. </p><p>He could faintly hear Mikasa’s breath hitch and Shadis’s pitiful wailing. But his heartbeat encompassed his hearing, his heart ached with such fervor that he could not feel the physical wounds that he had been afflicted, nor could he bring himself to regret the wounds he had inflicted. </p><p>“What have you done?” Mikasa gasped, covering her mouth as the acrid stench of blood filtered into the water, her dark eyes dilating, becoming an even deeper shade of black. </p><p>Eren surveyed the damage to his trinkets, none of them had made it out unscathed, debris clouded the waters, taunting Eren as they floated in fractured pieces. </p><p>Years upon years worth of collecting, devoting so much care into these seemingly mundane objects all to have them destroyed by the very merman he protected them from. He knew it meant nothing to them, to see his heart strewn about in fractured pieces curling around their bodies. </p><p>He was no fool. Eren knew that his collection did not consist of holy relics, or dazzling jewels, or precious weapons. To the surface dwellers, those items were probably as mundane to them as his trident was to him. </p><p>But they were his treasures nonetheless.  </p><p>“Something I should have done years ago.” Eren gritted out as he pressed his palm to his abdomen, attempting to stem the flow of blood from a particularly nasty gash. He didn’t even remember getting such a wound in the first place. </p><p>Oh well. It didn’t matter. </p><p>Grisha narrowed his eyes as they focused on the only thing that had gone relatively unscathed in their battle. </p><p>“Don’t.” Eren sank to the floor, lightheaded, his limbs covered in a thin layer of stone. Blood ebbed from his wounds, dying the water red before dissipating. He could not move, nor could he feel pain. </p><p>Grisha edged closer to the statue.</p><p>“Don’t do it.” </p><p> Grisha lifted his trident. </p><p>“<em>Please. </em> ” Eren <em>begged </em>as though he was begging for his own life, maybe he was. He gazed at Mikasa for some semblance of support or aid and found none. Just a solid, blank stare looking back at him. </p><p>He knew if his Father did this, there would be no going back. </p><p>With one fell swoop, Grisha crumbled the statue, a plume of shattered marble erupting from the point of impact right below the chin. The stone prince’s face shattered and his body caved in on itself, and all Eren could do was watch as his father laid waste to his dream. </p><p>Eren screamed, in vain he attempted to pluck the pieces from the water as they scattered. Maybe he could rebuild. But the knot in his throat, the pervading ache in his chest, and the pressure behind his eyes told him otherwise. </p><p>Grisha gazed down at his son, crawling like some insolent sea worm, “This is for your own good.” </p><p>Eren grasped at his trident, it laid fallen in the sand, and thrust it towards his father, “Do- Don’t presume to know what is good for me.” His voice came out much weaker than he intended, face scrunched in grief, his shoulders shook with an indecipherable emotion. </p><p>“You never give up, do you?” His father muttered, oddly soft yet unforgiving. </p><p>That weight resting upon his heart had finally crushed him, and it was inexplicably excruciating. </p><p>“Well,” Grisha remained unperturbed, having sustained fewer injuries than his son. “Clean this up, then come back to the palace. We have much to discuss about your bonding ceremony.” </p><p>Numbness washed over him, Eren’s grip slackened, his trident once again falling into the sand. His father was never going to change, not that Eren made an effort in changing his mind. But it was all the same to him. Eren was just another pawn in a bigger game. Another semi-valuable piece on the board whose only purpose was to lay dormant until the right time. </p><p>Grisha did not care.</p><p>Grisha Yeager was cruel. But Eren never thought he’d- </p><p>Well, he didn’t know what to think. </p><p>And with that, Grisha demanded everyone except Eren to come back to the palace with him. Not that Eren would have complied, even if it were a command.</p><p>He left Eren to clean up the mess he made. Of course, he had.</p><p>Grief wracked his frame, Eren shoved his face into his arms, pillowing his head as he leaned against what was left of his statue. As the rush of battle wore off, his side began to sting, and his cheekbone ached as well as his arm. </p><p>A hand was placed upon his shoulder, “I’m sorry I-” He had not realized Mikasa was still there, having been wrapped up in his misery. </p><p>“Just go.” He snapped, shaking her arm off, “You’ve done enough.” </p><p>Mikasa flinched but said nothing. He didn’t bother to check if she left. </p><p><em>This. </em>This had been the culmination of all these years grasping at morsels of freedom, of hoping beyond hope that his father and Mikasa could see the world as he did. All crushed in a mere matter of moments. It was so easy. So finite. </p><p>Another sob wracked his body. Why was he weeping? He had heard his people’s tears were invaluable once upon a time. But there were no tears to shed in the salty depths, and maybe that was for the best. It hurt enough. </p><p>A strange sense of overflowing numbness filled his entire being. As though he was feeling too much to truly feel anything. It was liberating to know he had lost and therefore had nothing to lose. And terrifyingly rage-inducing. </p><p>Or maybe it was neither. He had no way of discerning his emotions. Nor did he want to. They all whirled in the back of his mind as his body displayed what his mind could not hold back.</p><p>Another treacherous choked sob made it's way up his throat.</p><p>Without looking up, he felt a presence behind him, seeing as there was only one merperson stubborn enough to stay, “I thought I told you to leave Mikasa.”<br/>A deep laugh erupted from behind him, “Oh, my sweet princeling, I assure you, you do not want me to leave.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ANGST is here and it's super fucking queer.<br/>Mikasa deserves better, Shadis is highkey a weirdo, and Grisha is... well Grisha. Levi went MIA this chapter because Eren was having an existential crisis, but he will be back next chapter. </p><p>Kudos for making it to the end of the chapter! Here have a Jean face ლ(ಠ_ಠლ)</p><p>You know the drill, if anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13: Le Mer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you Regular_John for beta reading my delirious 3 am ramblings and turning them into something presentable. You're a blessing not in disguise.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I haven't posted in a while. Blame it on the abundance of caffeine and abhorrent lack of serotonin.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Horseback riding was one of the things Levi had found enjoyable as a prince. Inwardly, he gripped on and on to the constant attempts on his life and the snake-like nature of his fellow nobles. But it was… nice to ride a horse that wasn’t stolen, to take a moment of respite, to follow a predetermined path and enjoy the rolling hills and the smell of grass as he and his men made their way to the border. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Levi were a man to fret, he’d be sweating buckets. For all they knew they could be dealing with a run-of-the-mill gang of bandits, or finding themselves within a dragon’s den. The reports hadn’t been specific, but he assumed it was the former. A dragon would kick up a fuss even in the smallest of villages. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had spent his entire life running from death, only to find her sweet embrace to be just that; a honeyed baritone and a gentle, lingering touch grazing his cheekbone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts of his mysterious healer. Now was not the time, nor would it ever be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hanji, his not so mysterious healer, had not been so keen on his hasty plans. When they had heard of his early departure they had been the one to sweat buckets, Levi had just been through a shipwreck, after all, they had the right to be anxious. That’s what the physician argued, at least.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The breeze tousled his hair as he took a deep breath, savoring the smell of pine trees and the faint scent of grass. The sun kissed his skin, stark against clear, azure expanses, not a cloud in sight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t care if he came back to the castle with his skin reddened and sweltering with whatever burns that could come of this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and basked in the sun’s warmth, like one of those alley cats he used to avoid as a child, trusting that his steed would continue on their path. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, he heard the familiar </span>
  <em>
    <span>clip clock </span>
  </em>
  <span>of another knight saddling up next to him, and reluctantly, he peeled open his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin fixed him with a small smile, one that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Do you think the townsfolk will welcome us there?”</span>
  <em>
    <span> After all the king’s negligence. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi shrugged, “If they’re as desperate as they claim they are, they’ll have no choice but to take us in.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know but…” He trailed off, then shook his head, “Never mind.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Levi would have sighed if he weren’t in such a good mood, “Spit it out.” </span>
</p><p><span>Armin bit his lip, “It’s just, the king had been adamant about ignoring their requests. Maybe he had his reasons.”</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Or maybe he’s just a royal prick.” Levi retorted, Kenny didn’t seem to have any qualms about letting Levi take the lead in this case.</span></p><p>
  <span>Armin winced and pressed his lips in a tight line, as though he was physically forcing himself not to speak. With how often that boy bites his tongue, Levi’s surprised it hasn’t fallen off yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin was always disgustingly formal with him outside the safety of the training grounds and his personal chambers, which had miffed Levi at first since it forced him to conduct himself with the same levels of formality. He adapted, of course, nobles had their useless rules and he’d just have to live with them. Plus, he’d rather not paint an even bigger target on the young man’s back by blatantly favoring him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A brief pause, “Your Highness?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you going to do about the Ambassador of Utopia?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuck. He forgot about him. Fleetingly, he thought it was too bad the man survived the shipwreck, then he’d at least cross another frivolous exchange off his extensive to-do list.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speak with him. Wish him well. Apologize for the inconvenience and the loss of the Imperial Princess’s gift. Anything else?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin could not suppress a sigh, “If you call a shipwreck a mere ‘inconvenience’ we might as well start drafting war treaties.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re being dramatic.” Levi waved him off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am being </span>
  <em>
    <span>respectable.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Armin huffed indignantly, “Be thankful Lord Erwin spoke with him whilst you were ‘recovering’. But I do believe that a letter sent to the Imperial Princess would be prudent, considering that it was her gift to you that was lost in the fire.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, yes, of course.” He promised, half-heartedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another pause. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>Armin fidgeting from behind him. He wanted to say something. The incessant chatter of the knights behind them signaled that they were more interested in the raunchy escapades of their fellow comrades than they were of a prince having a conversation with his personal guard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Let no one mistake this, knights were a hoard of gossip-mongers, more so than any noble-woman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Guilt was eating Armin up inside, although he would never admit it. He regretted not being on that boat that night, as though he had a choice in the matter. Levi was the one to give him the night off, and he couldn’t be more thankful that he did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Decidedly, Levi changed the subject, he supposed it was high time to start acting like a prince. “No harm will come of you, or any of my men. If that is what you are worried about. You have my word. Erwi- The Marquess of Rose would have my head if so much as a strand of hair gets clipped from your head.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Armin coughed into his fist to disguise his spluttering, his flaxen steed seemed to have taken notice of how tightly wound her rider had become. “I- I am sure you are over exaggerating.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are one of his former subordinates, are you not?” Levi prompted, as though he did not already know, “I am sure for that reason alone he would be rather fond of you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O-oh, yes. Of course.” He rubbed the back of his neck, tugging at his tow-colored locks. “That’s what you meant.” He mumbled that last part to himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Erwin who sent in the request to instate Armin as part of his personal guard, painting lavish pictures of his strategic prowess and overall skill as a soldier and as a knight. As though he walked straight out of a fairy tale, saving damsels in distress and slaying dragons.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With how Erwin described his fledgling of a soldier, Levi just assumed he’d be more… arrogant? Ill-mannered? Pompous? Haughty? Something less than the mild-mannered, sardonic man, clad in armor that was one inch away from swallowing him whole that he had been introduced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In due time, he had lived up to his exorbitant praise and had weaseled his way into Levi’s good graces. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were his right-hand man, correct?” Levi asked, ignoring the irony of that statement, and turning his gaze to the wondrous view before him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once again, Armin hesitated, “Not in the way you are, your Highness.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a yes?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Yes.” </span>
</p><p><span>“Good, he needs someone with the brains to keep him in check.” </span><span><br/></span> <span>“Your Highness!” Armin gasped like a scandalized maiden. </span></p><p>
  <span>Maybe he isn’t doing this princely thing right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Levi waved him off, “Well you know what I mean. I’m not smart enough to argue with him over his convoluted plans. But you are.” He stated simply. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no reason to deny it, he was better at following someone else’s plans than coming up with them on his own. There was a reason he let Furlan make the big decisions, like who to pick-pocket from and who’s home they should ransack, or whether or not to antagonize one of the local gangs, that answer had always been a “no”, when they were children. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He may not have been able to read or do basic maths, but he knew his way around the hefty, unbalanced weight of his rusted dagger. The way flesh yielded to it with just the right amount of force. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a different life, Levi would like to believe that he'd be better as a soldier than a king. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>Armin shake his head, as he tried to withhold an exasperated sigh, “Do not say things like that, you will make a great king.” He said with genuine confidence that made Levi’s heart fill with dread and warmth. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said that out loud. Maybe Hanji was right, maybe he didn’t get enough sleep if he’s going around voicing nonsense.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi shrugged, “If you insist.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” Armin said, softly enough for Levi to momentarily think that it was the wind playing a trick on his ears. But one look at the young man told him otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?” Eren asked, the first thing that had come to his mind was a plethora of curses and a stab to the gut with his trident. But something stopped him. He loathed to take a life that didn’t deserve to be taken. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He relinquished his hold on his heartbroken stupor, at least for a moment as he assessed his intruder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren turned in the direction of the voice, only to find a merman... of sorts. He did not have a tail, instead, eight wrinkled appendages, writhing and curling around each other in thick rivulets. This, in it of itself, did not fill Eren with the pervading sense of apprehension roiling in his gut. No, it was the look in those gray eyes as though he was a prize he was going to win at a festival. Or an auction.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t you like to know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>little princeling?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Eren suppressed his innate response to simply gut the creature.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I would, actually.” Eren got up, leveling himself to the same height as his intruder, ignoring how his heart raced and how his stomach filled with dread. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you a brave one,” The man-creature-merman smirked revealing sets of sharpened teeth, Eren’s eyes refused to leave his, lest they travel towards those menacing appendages.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no reason to panic himself without discerning whatever motivation this creature had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The creature sighed, apparently bored of their little staring contest, “My name is Zeke. And I am here to make a deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now it was Eren’s turn to become bored of the conversation, he scoffed, “No thank you.” his trident in hand, he flicked his tail to move past, “Zeke.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A dark tentacle whipped out and wrapped itself around his wrist, uncomfortably suctioning at his skin. “What are you-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My apologies, but I would prefer if you’d hear me out.” Zeke paused, relinquishing his hold on Eren’s wrist, “After all, we do need each other.” An almost carefree lilt if it were not for those strangely familiar features contorting into that of a predator. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren narrowed his eyes, noting the reddening circles starting to form on his wrist. Another wound to put atop his list. His side still stung, but the pain ebbed in the back of his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had never seen a being like this, a part of him gleamed as to why, and the other refused to admit it.  “I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> you for anything.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Zeke waved the comment off with one of his tentacles, “You are infatuated with that surface dweller, are you not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren stilled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I can help you with that. For a price of course.” Once again, sharpened teeth were unearthed. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How did he know? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Eren restrained from fiddling with his trident, lest he admits to any form of tangible weakness, “I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re talking about.”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps it was the fragility of his mental state, strewn in fragments all around him causing his own lecherous temptations to take the forefront of his mind as the waters continuously became hazier and hazier. But Zeke’s offer tempted him. In a terrifyingly invasive and ominous way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had lost everything, hadn’t he? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you do.” Zeke slipped closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren stiffened at the touch but decided to humor the creature. Although his skin was bare of silvery scars or ink, Eren could feel the power thrumming through his veins in slight waves. His own power felt a peculiar, almost, kinship to the other. A strange familiarity. Same as the man’s features. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t be here if either had you no other choice,” Eren stated, adopting a cordial tone, noting the minuscule twitch of Zeke’s jaw.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are right.” Zeke acquiesced, shrugging his shoulders. “Shall we make a deal?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What type?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One that would benefit us both.” </span>
</p><p><span>Eren’s eyes narrowed, “That’s not an answer.”</span><span><br/></span> <span>“Come with me and I’ll give you one.” </span></p><p>
  <span>Zeke tried so hard to keep up a blase facade, as though Eren hadn’t spent the majority of his life seeing through them. Although he kept his tone light, and nearly bubbly, his eyes were too sharp, and his hold on Eren’s shoulders too tight. What he tried to pass off as languid movements were too slow, too calculated to be anything but. Dark tendrils whipped around in a silent threat, and although Eren knew that if he truly wanted to, he could dispose of his creature without blinking an eye. His offer intrigued him. In the most unsettling of ways. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” Eren nodded. “I will come with you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steadfast in his resolve, Eren refused to regret, even as he was led deeper and deeper into the underbelly of his father’s domain. He was no fool, there were beings, other than himself, who defied his father’s word willfully and profited from it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was led to a ravine of sorts. The waters had darkened and chilled as they swam deeper into Zeke’s snare. Eren could not tell if it was the water or his nerves chilling him to his very core, and truthfully, he didn’t want to find out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could barely discern the jagged, moss-covered walls from tendrils of foliage brushing his tail, all things have been relegated to mere silhouettes, shades of their former innocuous selves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some moments he even swore he could hear a faint call or wail echoing from some distant place. The occasional bony carcass would make its way into his view crawling with scavengers wrapping their lithe, slippery appendages around rotted organs and stripped bone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His blood grew colder, but his mind became more emboldened. As his nerves heightened, so did his confidence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren did not know what type of game Zeke was playing with his limited scope, nor did he want to. But apparently, they needed each other. Eren wanted freedom and Zeke, well...he wanted something else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to my humble abode.” Zeke spread his arms, as they entered a relatively large cave, or what once was, with various knick-knacks cluttered about. Jars filled with unnamed substances littered every semi-flat surface, a litany of scrolls were strewn and tacked onto the jagged walls with crudely made daggers and basic protection runes were carved into the arc of the entrance.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>made Eren bristle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rune carving was an art and one that took decades of practice. To etch into someone’s skin, to carve into stone, metal, coral, or gem spoke of permanence. Permanence that could rot stone or turn it to steel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren nodded, it was oddly homey. He expected something more… menacing? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now may I have my answer?” He kept his tone light, yet still imposing. He didn’t want Zeke to clam up, especially when Eren was at an obvious disadvantage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, my answer is simple.” Zeke meandered, and Eren’s fingers twitched to call upon his trident. “I can give you what you want.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that is?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Legs,” Zeke shrugged. “It is foolish of you, and I fear that it will only bring you grief, little princeling.”  </span>
</p><p><span>Eren stilled, and Zeke’s mouth slanted upward in a self-satisfied smile, proving that he did not, in fact, fear for his inevitable grief. “Magic like that doesn’t exist.” </span><span><br/></span> <span>“Of course it does. How do you think those wretched halflings spawn into existence? Faeries?” Zeke scoffed, grabbing various wayward jars with his slippery appendages. “I will make you an artifact, </span><span>your tail will divide and shrink until it becomes what the people on earth call a pair of shapely legs. But it will hurt; it will feel as if a sharp sword slashed through you. Everyone who sees you will say that you are the most graceful being they have ever laid eyes on, for you will keep your gliding movement and no dancer will be able to tread as lightly as you. But every step you take will feel as if you were treading upon knives</span><span>.” </span></p><p><span>Eren squared his shoulders, the offer as daunting a foe as his destiny, “what’s the catch?” </span><span><br/></span> <span>“Now you’re speaking my language, little princeling.” Zeke had somehow procured a pair of thin, round binoculars? Not unlike the same accessories that the prince’s comrade was wearing. </span></p><p><span>Zeke feigned contemplation,</span> <span>“The price is… one that you would expect to essentially </span><em><span>change </span></em><span>your species, and not without its stipulations.” As though he had not just said that Eren would be delegated to an existence treading upon knives. </span></p><p><span>Eren fixed his gaze onto Zeke, staring into the rotting depths of his soul, the tension thickening the water to the point where Eren found it hard to breathe. “And that being?” </span><span><br/></span> <span>“Your voice.” </span></p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Eren was taken off guard, “My voice? Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zeke scoffed, “You have the sweetest voice of everyone in your Father’s kingdom, so much so that once upon a time a siren threatened to bend her sacred rules to nurture your talents.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know everything, little princeling.” Zeke shrugged, preoccupied with his tinkering with a soft-looking string, distinctly of surface origins. “And I know that a voice, coveted by even the Goddess’s champions, is more than a fair price to pay for legs.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once, when he was a youngling, he had been approached by a siren. One of Rico’s comrades, if he remembered correctly, with disheveled onyx hair and hooded eyes. She regarded him with kindness and thinly veiled wonder and offered him a chance to train alongside her and her brethren. An offer not given lightly, especially to a merman, even with royal blood flowing through their veins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren could only hope that she fled before his father had forsaken her people. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Merfolk begged, killed even, to so much as a glimpse at their teachings. At their power. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he had declined. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Politely of course. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew, even then, that his power was too tumultuous to tame. The sirens were never ones for obtrusive magics, they lulled surface dwellers into a false sense of safety with soft, lilting notes masked within the rhythm of the sea. They did not scream at the waves to swallow pirate ships whole. They did not command the tide to slam fishing boats into rocky cliffsides. That is what made them terrifying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that is why he had to decline. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren had never told anyone, not even Mikasa. Pride had only been partly the reason, for guilt outweighed everything, as it always did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sucked in another fortifying breath, “If my voice is my price, then what is the stipulation you spoke of, more so than what has already been established?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you do not win the love of your precious prince so completely that for your sake that he cleaves to you with his every thought and whole heart, or he binds himself to another, then you will relinquish your soul to me.” Zeke intoned gravely, the cave seemed to become impossibly darker. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I do not succeed, and he binds himself to another, what will be left of me?” Eren asked, as though it truly mattered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zeke shrugged, “Not even I have the answer to that question.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren grew quiet, mulling over his options. He had been given his dream on a silver platter, even if it was for the slightest bit of time. If Zeke were as knowledgeable as he professed to be, then he’d know of the surface prince’s betrothal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am willing to help you, but are you willing to suffer?” Zeke asked an odd giddiness murked his otherwise grave tone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The prince swallowed thickly, there were more means of communication than speaking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even so, the odds were stacked against him. He’d be an idiot to accept Zeke’s offer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” His voice trembled, thick with apprehension and words left unsaid. </span>
</p><p><span>“Then I will begin.” Zeke nodded, as though he hadn’t already begun to compile the ingredients for the spell. “Remember, once you have taken human form, you cannot come back through the waters to your sister, or to your father’s palace. Not without a proper sacrifice.” </span><span><br/></span> <span>Eren stilled at the last part, not wanting to know what that sacrifice entailed, doubting he’d ever need it. Hopefully. </span></p><p>
  <span>After Zeke had compiled, what Eren assumed to be, the proper ingredients into a large cauldron billowing with a strange fog forming ghastly shapes as it bled into the sea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He started chanting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lowly at first, barely a mutter. The cave seemed to glow with an ominous sapphire hue, as though the stone had been covered in noctiluca causing the water to pulsate unnaturally as Zeke’s voice grew in intensity, deep and raucous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he continued Eren felt a strange sensation at the base of his throat, as though someone was tugging at his vocal cords with spindly fingers. It was not painful in the slightest, but he wrapped his webbed fingers around his throat as though he could rid himself of the sensation by doing so. He opened his mouth to say something but no sound came from it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After what felt like hours, or mere seconds, Zeke’s chanting crescendoed. The cave flooded with that strange glow, forcing Eren to shut his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the light had faded, and Eren had opened his eyes, Zeke had a golden key in hand, stringing it on the soft cord Eren had spotted him tinkering with earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Before sunset, seat yourself on dry land, and don yourself with this necklace.” Zeke handed the soft, malleable cord to the prince, “Then, and only then will your tail be cleaved in two, little princeling.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren screwed his mouth shut, fighting off the innate instinct to respond, and nodded.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zeke’s face scrunched with an indiscernible emotion, to the point where even Eren couldn’t tell whether he pitied the prince or if he was ecstatic to see him go. “If you decide to take off this necklace whilst in your father’s domain, your legs will grow back into one. And my payment will be received.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once again Eren nodded, a part of him wanted to feel the melancholy sting of loss piercing his heart, the other, the bigger part of himself brimmed with apprehension and </span>
  <em>
    <span>excitement. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It thrummed through his veins with an intensity he had never experienced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eren clenched the necklace in his hand, quite literally the key to all of his hopes and dreams, his sharpened nails dug into his palm. He didn’t register the feel of his palm ripping underneath the pressure. </span>
</p><p><em>I am willing to help you, but are you willing to suffer? </em> Those words echoed in his head as he left, swimming towards his dream. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A bit of a cliffhanger. I'm not sorry. <br/>Also if you're wondering about Levi's dialogue change from super casual when he was tipsy with Erwin and Hanji to overly formal, it's because he's in public and he has an image to uphold. <br/>Hopefully, I can get the next chapter out soon, I'm already halfway through it so it shouldn't be that hard... right??? <br/>Yes, I used some lines directly from the fairy-tale, like;<br/>“Then your tail will divide and shrink until it becomes what the people on earth call a pair of shapely legs. But it will hurt; it will feel as if a sharp sword slashed through you. Everyone who sees you will say that you are the most graceful human being they have ever laid eyes on, for you will keep your gliding movement and no dancer will be able to tread as lightly as you. But every step you take will feel as if you were treading upon knife blades so sharp that blood must flow. I am willing to help you, but are you willing to suffer all this?" <br/>Credit to Hans Christen Andersen for that entire conversation. I spliced it and cut out semantics because the goal of his conversation with the sea witch was different than mine. <br/>If you haven't caught on, this isn't going to be a direct copy of either the Disney versions or the original, but I'm going to nab bits here and there. Mostly, if I did, I would have to write Levi as a spoiled idiotic prince who doesn't know where his heart truly lies or a cardboard cutout of a man who falls underneath a spell for plot convenience. No shade towards prince Eric. But damn he had no personality. <br/>What are Zeke's ulterior motives? Any guesses? </p><p>Thanks for making it to the end of the chapter, here have an Eren face (´༎ຶ༎ຶ)<br/>You know the drill nerds, if anyone wants to check out my:<br/>Tumblr: losticarus510<br/>Instagram: losticarus510<br/>All comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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